GOLF.com: Niemann's 2026 U.S. Open Nightmare — A Hole-11 Disaster at Shinnecock Hills

Joaquin Niemann's 2026 U.S. Open fell apart on a single hole at Shinnecock Hills, turning a legitimate major contention into a fight to make the cut.

The Collapse in Sequence

Niemann had clawed his way back to even par on Thursday evening, converting back-to-back birdies at holes 3 and 5 to sit inside the top 20. Then came the 6th — a 480-yard par-4 that turned into a multi-chapter disaster.

His first tee shot crossed the road running alongside the hole: out of bounds. His second tee shot followed nearly the same line: out of bounds again. Hitting his 5th shot from the tee, he eventually found a thick native area cutting into the fairway, managing only 113 yards of advancement on his 6th.

Suspended in Darkness

Play was halted for darkness at that moment, forcing Niemann to return to his accommodation knowing he lay 6 in the fairway of a par-4. He resumed at 6:35 a.m. Friday, chipped to just short of the green, got up-and-down with a single putt, and walked off with a quintuple-bogey 9 — crashing from T17 to T112 in one hole.

Penalty Added

The nightmare deepened when officials assessed a two-stroke penalty for a club-throwing incident on the hole, revising his score to an 11. Niemann finished Round 1 at eight over par.

Strokeslab Perspective

From a Strokes Gained standpoint, the damage from a single hole was severe enough to erase hours of quality play. It underscores how unforgiving U.S. Open setups are — there is virtually no margin to absorb a multi-stroke mistake and still contend.