SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Joaquin Niemann of Chile was given a two-shot penalty Friday when he finished the first round of the U.S. Open for throwing his club on the sixth hole, the latest example of golf cracking down on bad behavior.The additional two shots gave Niemann an 11 on the par-4 sixth round, a disastrous hole that began with two lost balls from tee shots that went well to the right in deep grass. He was even par for tournament going into No. 6, his 15th hole of the round.He finished the first round Friday morning at 78.The USGA cited Rule 1.2b on “Code of Conduct.” Among incidents that fall under this category are unacceptable language and abuse of clubs or the course.While the rule has always been in place, the USGA and all the other golf organizations have met in recent years to develop consistent guidelines for a conduct policy, applied separately by each of the organizations at their tournaments.
The Masters used it for the first time in April when Sergio Garcia was issued a warning after a bad drive on the par-5 second hole in the final round. He slammed his club into the turf twice and swung his club at a table holding a green cooler. That left the head of his driver dangling from the shaft.
