Video footage of Jon Rahm tantrum brings Joaquin Niemann's U.S. Open penalty under more scrutiny

Video footage of Jon Rahm losing his cool during the second round of the U.S. Open suggests that Joaquin Niemann should not have been the only player penalised for misconduct at the year's third men's major.

Niemann, 27, became the first golfer to be penalised for breaking a new code of conduct introduced for major championships in 2026 after he lobbed his gap wedge some 50 yards as en route to a septuple-bogey nine on the sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills. 

Tournament officials deemed the LIV Golf star guilty of "serious misconduct". 

The Chilean - who argued his case before his score was changed to an 11 - later accepted that the penalty, under Rule 1.2b, was just. 

His golf coach, the legendary Peter Cowen, was upset on Niemann's behalf because in his view he also several other golfers in the 156-man field losing their cool on day one.

Rahm may consider himself fortunate to escape a penalty, too, after his behaviour on Friday. 

The Spaniard, who won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, dropped a loud F-bomb after missing a right-to-left curler low on the ninth hole. 

Under the new code of conduct, Rahm probably should have been handed his first warning because foul language falls under "unacceptable behaviour". 

Later, video footage emerged of another Rahm incident in the second round where he could be seen lightly booting his driver three times following an errant tee shot. 

Was Rahm fortunate not to be penalised?

Take a look at the footage here:

Rahm was among the high-profile players to make an exit after 36 holes. 

He was one of 13 LIV Golf players in the field and looked as though he was going to contend for the gold medal. 

At one stage on Friday afternoon, Rahm was four-under par overall and nipping at the heels of leader Wyndham Clark. 

But he dropped six strokes in in five holes to slip back to six-over par and miss the cut by three. 

As for Niemann, he bounced back from an opening 78 with a stunning 65 to make the weekend. 

His penalty has stirred debate, with former Paul McGinley explaining that he was in favour of the penalty. 

As far as the European Ryder Cup captain is concerned, it's up to golf's rule makers to finally enforce the code of conduct as the players have too much power on the PGA Tour. 

He said: "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."

Added Brandel Chamblee: "I never saw Jack Nicklaus throw a club. I never heard him yell an F-bomb. I never heard him use a profane word on the golf course. If he hit a bad shot, you'd hear him say, 'Oh, Jack.'

"I never saw [Arnold] Palmer throw a club. I never heard him yell an F-bomb. Same with Tom Watson. 

"Pick your player—I never saw Greg Norman. All those bad losses that Greg Norman had, I never saw him throw a club or heard an F-bomb from him.

"You can say what you want about Phil Mickelson—I never saw him throw a club or yell an F-bomb. 

"And, you know, the same is not true of Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is the greatest player ever. We all love him. Everybody got rich off him. 

"But he was one of the most profane golfers to ever play the game. Nobody ever criticised him. He skated through."

Chamblee said it "rains F-bombs all the time on the PGA Tour". 

"Clubs get thrown all the time," said. "Tee markers get destroyed. And you're right—the players have all the power in the world. Nobody reins them in.

"It used to be, I always thought you would get fined for profanity on the PGA Tour, but I guess not. 

"Because when you watch, it’s just F-bomb after F-bomb after F-bomb. You hear it. 

"Jon Rahm today missed a putt and screamed the F-word as loud as he could.

"I'm no prude. I've played golf. I understand how crazy it gets, and we've all done it—I've done it. I'm no prude, because we've made those same offences. 

"But I wasn't on TV much, and these guys are videotaped everywhere they go. TV is everywhere. So they have, I would say, a bigger burden than you and I would have had, no doubt about it.

"But with that burden comes unimaginable wealth. It goes with the scrutiny. 

"And composure is a skill—it's a skill. It's lazy to throw clubs, and it's lazy to drop F-bombs when you know the whole world is watching."