Former Ryder Cup captain backs Joaquin Niemann's U.S. Open penalty: "All I see is take, take, take"

Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley says he was in favour of the decision to hand Joaquin Niemann a two-shot penalty for breaching the new code of conduct during the first round of the U.S. Open. 

Niemann was slapped with the penalty after he was adjudged by tournament officials to be guilty of "serious misconduct" after he tossed his gap wedge in frustration some 50 yards down the fairway en route to a septuple-bogey nine on the sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday. 

Before the second round, the Chilean LIV Golf star was informed his score was changed to an 11 and he was being punished under Rule 1.2b. 

Niemann said that he wasn't proud of his behaviour and agreed that he should have received the penalty, although his golf coach disagreed as he claimed there were numerous other players in the 156-man field guilty of chucking their clubs too. 

McGinley told Golf Channel that "not everybody is going to be filmed or seen throwing a club a club, but that's not the point."

He added: "I really like what's happening here. 

"You know, in a game where we're seeing so much in favour of the players, so much entitlement, so much money going to the players, so much control in terms of over-the-ball rollback and all of that, where the players have got an increasing voice in the game.

"The powers that be, the R&A, the USGA in particular, along with Augusta National, those three are making a very strong stance here about codes of conduct and about boundaries, and I think those boundaries have been stretched too far over the years, and it's really good and refreshing to see those boundaries coming in. 

"We saw it at the Masters, although nothing was done, and people became aware of it. We're seeing it at the PGA [Championship], and we're certainly seeing it this week."

McGinley explained that players in the elite men's game have too much control. 

And it's about time that the majors started clamping down on poor behaviour. 

He said: "I'm all in favour of it, and what I will say to the USGA and the R&A more than anything is, in a world where the players have so much control at the moment, and the PGA Tour is in a weak position because it's a member's organisation, and [PGA Tour chief executive] Brian Rolapp is employed by the players, it's very hard for him to have these codes of behaviour. 

"It rests with the USGA, and it rests with the R&A. The leverage that they have over the players, and the same when it comes to the ball and equipment, is all the players want to win major championships more than anything.

"The leverage is this is the way it's going to be, boys. If you want to play in majors, this is how we're going to run it. 

"If you want to do different things in the PGA Tour, that's up to you guys, or the DP World Tour, up to you guys, or the LIV tour, up to you guys, but when you come to the major championships, this is what we do.

"Whether it be the ball, whether it be the equipment, whether it be the code of behaviour, they have massive leverage over the players in that way, and I like to see them exercise it a little bit stronger. 

"This is a start, and they have so much power in the game because they are the four or five biggest brands in the game, or the four majors in the Ryder Cup, and taking a stand for the good of the game, because if you look over the last four or five years, who has stood up for the game? 

"All I see is take, take, take. I don't see somebody standing up for the game.

"This is standing up for the code of behaviour within the game, and I'm all for it."

Niemann carded an eight-over 78 on Friday but bounced back to make the cut with a five-under 65. 

He sits on three-over ahead of moving day. 

The 27-year-old was one of 13 LIV Golf players to tee it up at the U.S. Open. 

Only six made the cut, with Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith the highest-profile players from the breakaway tour to miss the cut. 

Keep checking GolfMagic for the latest updates from the U.S. Open.