USGA Rule 1.2a declares that players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity, showing consideration to others, and taking good care of the course, and Rule 1.2b gives the Committee authority to adopt its Code of Conduct and to set penalties for its breach.

Major organizers finally started enforcing Rule 1.2b in 2026, seven years after the USGA put it on the books. Joaquin Niemann became the first golfer to be penalized for throwing a club, but after seeing Jon Rahm‘s video from round 2, fans are now asking questions about the rule’s enforcement. The Spaniard carded an 8-over on Friday and walked off the greens in frustration, kicking his clubs multiple times. The video went viral on X after PGA Tour coach David Woods posted it, and the conversation quickly turned from his performance to one question: Why didn’t the USGA say anything?

It is the timing that made it harder to miss. On Friday, Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann was penalized two strokes for throwing his sand wedge and kicking a flag on the sixth hole. Although the incident happened on Thursday, the USGA slapped a retrospective penalty. Now, under the new rule, such behavior is serious misconduct and might carry a two-stroke penalty, but apparently, Rahm’s repeated kicking of the club went unnoticed by the USGA. David Woods later clarified that he didn’t mean to attack Rahm but only wanted to point out that everyone should face similar consequences, a point Niemann’s coach, Pete Cowen, also made.

Notably, Niemann himself wasn’t entirely sold on the call. Sure, he took responsibility, but he didn’t hide how he felt about the penalty.

“I’m not someone who likes to engage in that behavior. I’m the first one to judge myself when I don’t behave on the golf course,” he said. “That was a misbehavior on my part. I felt a little bit extra penalized with the two-shot penalty, but I think it is what it is. I think I’m going to learn from it.”

His coach, Pete Cowen, went into more details while talking to Golf Channel and found penalty a bit discriminatory. 

“It’s arbitrary because they picked him out of a load of people who threw clubs yesterday and gave him a two-shot penalty. It depends on whether you like him or you don’t like him. It’s either got to be two shots for throwing a club for everybody or not.”

However, the USGA determines which behavior counts as a serious breach of its code of conduct policy. It should be noted that Niemann threw his club almost 50 yards while a volunteer was present on the scene. He also kicked the flag after a disagreement with the rules official. And it is not clear if the USGA issued a warning to Jon Rahm or not. There hasn’t been any official statement from the governing body.

Rule 1.2b was introduced in 2019, but no penalty was added until 2026. Sergio Garcia was even given a warning at Augusta this year after a barrage of swipes at the turf and the snapping of his driver over a water cooler in the final round. Even Robert MacIntyre was reprimanded at Augusta when he raised a middle-finger gesture toward the 15th green, used foul language, and slammed his club in frustration.

However, this wasn’t Jon Rahm’s first disciplinary controversy at a major this year. At the PGA Championship, he took an angry swing during the third round, and the club caught the turf. Then a clump of turf hit a volunteer. Although he apologized immediately, the incident showed that Rahm’s anger gets the better of him at times.

At Shinnecock he dropped a loud f-bomb after missing a putt. The footage of what happened at the U.S. Open spread quickly, and the responses on X were sharp. Fans weren’t confused about what they saw; they were frustrated that the USGA apparently was.

Fans had a lot to say after Jon Rahm’s video

“It’s called the hypocrisy of the USGA GOLF organization,” wrote a golf fan.

The USGA itself cited Rule 1.2b when penalizing Joaquin Niemann for a single club throw. Rahm kicked his club more than once, yet the outcome was different. However, it is quite possible that the USGA specifically wants players to stop throwing their clubs, which is why the punishment is harsher in similar cases.

Last year, Wyndham Clark almost hit a volunteer after throwing his club in anger. Rory McIlroy also chucked his club in front of him, which bounced on the turf. Golf’s governing bodies saw it as a potential threat to spectator safety and decided on stricter treatment for club throws, which might explain why Garcia also escaped with a warning despite repeated club slams.

Talking about any LIV golfer, and financial factors won’t come into play? Well, not possible.

“Ironically, money often decreases value. When money is put above all else, the entity dilutes. Players have lost respect for the game that made them. They think they’re bigger than the game,” was another comment.

“It should be. The PGA Tour and USGA are so afraid of the players and penalizing them. Behavior should be 2 shots, and penalties for slow play need to be given,” said one fan.

The frustration wasn’t just about this incident. Slow play has been a long-standing complaint as well, and fans have watched governing bodies repeatedly not penalizing marquee players for it.

“Because he’s a much bigger name,” a user wrote.

Jon Rahm is a former U.S. Open champion and one of golf’s highest-profile players. Some might argue that Niemann is not at that level. When the same rule produces different outcomes at the same event, the most straightforward explanation is usually this one.

“It should!!” read one more reaction.

Rahm went on to miss the cut.

“It it windier than it seems on TV and the greens are much more undulating. They are not easy. They’ve put more flags in corners this afternoon,” he said after the round.

The USGA has yet to announce any penalty relating to Rahm’s conduct. But the discussion surrounding the incident shows that enforcement of Rule 1.2b will remain under the spotlight for the remainder of the major season.