A Two-Stroke Penalty and 37 Minutes to Regroup: Joaquín Niemann's 65 Is the US Open's Wildest Story
Hold up, fam. You gotta hear what just went down at the US Open. Joaquín Niemann, that dude from Chile, he just went full beast mode, dropping a five-under par 65 in the second round. But get this: he did it RIGHT AFTER getting smacked with a two-stroke penalty for tossing his club like a frustrated fan chucking their hat at T-Mobile Park. Unbelievable, right? This is the kind of drama that makes you want to chug a pint at your favorite Emerald City pub and scream!
"Misbehavior" and a Mountain of Frustration
So, here's the deal. On Thursday evening, after hitting two balls totally out of bounds on the par-four sixth hole, Niemann absolutely lost it. He hurled his sand wedge in frustration. We've all been there, right? But the golf gods, or at least the US Open officials, apparently don't play that. He was told about the two-stroke penalty for serious misconduct just before his second round on Friday. Talk about a gut punch right before you tee off!
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This penalty turned his par-four sixth hole into a seven-over par 11 for his first round, which was the 15th hole he played. Seriously? That left him with an eight-over 78 for his opening round. Niemann himself admitted, "I knew I had a misbehavior, but I feel like everybody had some, and it's never going to anything major like two-shot penalty." He also mentioned he asked for relief from ants around his ball but didn't get it. "I felt like my body wasn't quite there," he said about his struggles. You can feel the frustration practically dripping off his words. He even said, "I was looking around. There was no people. No one there. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes, all the expectation of trying to play well and things don't go your way, you get frustrated, and that was me there." Totally relatable when your team is blowing a lead in the fourth quarter, you know?
From Penalty Pain to Pure Performance
Now for the wild part. After finishing his first round, Niemann had only a measly 37 minutes to regroup before his second round started. THIRTY-SEVEN MINUTES. Most of us need longer than that to decide what to order for lunch! He even confessed, "It was hard. Took me probably 30 minutes to get over it. I felt like a little bit extra penalized with two-shot penalty." But then, something clicked. Maybe that extra frustration fueled him. He even said, "It definitely helped me a little bit to have a better round today."
Because what did he do after that? He went out and absolutely tore up windy Shinnecock, firing that incredible five-under par 65. He started hot, birdying five of the first six holes, and yeah, that included the very same sixth hole where he had his club-tossing meltdown the night before. Talk about a comeback! He finished with seven birdies and only two bogeys in round two. "Everything was on. Hit great tee shots. I kind of went out with a pretty aggressive mindset, so yeah, it worked out," Niemann explained. This dude, who's already won eight times in LIV Golf, including last month in South Korea, just showed everyone how to turn anger into pure clutch performance.
What's next for Niemann at the US Open? Can he keep this fiery momentum going? After a round like that, you know every golf fan, even us Seattle loyalists, will be watching closely to see what he pulls off next. This isn't just about golf anymore, it's about a player who absolutely refused to let a harsh penalty break his spirit. You gotta love that grit!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.