Jon Rahm’s US Open bid unraveled in a brutal second round at Shinnecock Hills, swinging from two under par to six over and ending with a calamitous collapse that included a double bogey on the 16th and an expletive outburst after a missed short birdie putt. Wy
Shinnecock Hills was ready to punish, but it wasn’t supposed to look like this for Jon Rahm.
On Friday, the Spanish star turned frustration into profanity as his second-round swing went wildly wrong. He started the day on a solid footing. moving from two under par to six over via a second-round 78. and the damage was enough to send him packing without making the cut. Rahm’s descent was sparked by a short birdie putt he missed on the ninth. the kind that immediately flips momentum—and he responded by screaming ‘f*** off’.
The first sign of trouble had hardly time to fade. By the turn, Rahm had traded one birdie for three bogeys. Then the round truly fractured between leaving the 11th green and stepping on the 17th tee. when he haemorrhaged six shots. A nightmarish double bogey on the 16th capped a run where everything seemed to go heavy or wrong.
His play turned into a repeat nightmare: his drive went into a bunker, as did his second shot and third. The fourth shot from there produced another bunker outcome, and he signed for a six.
It’s a stark contrast to the opening part of his tournament. Earlier. Rahm completed his first loop in 10 fewer strokes and without a single bogey—an achievement that stands out given Shinnecock’s recent history. Of the 446 rounds completed when this major previously visited Shinnecock in 2018, none were finished without a dropped shot. The course simply does not allow clean runs often, even from the best.
Rahm’s ceiling is still higher than almost anyone’s, but the cut-miss underlined what has become a turbulent stretch. He hasn’t won a major since joining LIV in 2023, and there is no reason to expect immediate relief this week.
The wider backdrop doesn’t help. His dismay at LIV’s impending collapse has been shown in his refusal to assist the circuit in their search for post-Saudi funding—while he arrived at the US Open with expectations running hot after finishing runner up at the PGA Championship last month. On Friday, though, the ball never quite cooperated, and the putting was especially damning. None of his putts were worse than the 3ft tiddler he left above ground on the sixth.
Rahm wasn’t the only LIV face forced out early. Bryson DeChambeau also missed the cut after signing for a 75 and finishing on five over, with successive doubles on the third and fourth holes. The standout outburst belonged to another member of the breakaway group: Joaquin Niemann.
Niemann’s Friday round came after a day earlier that became notable for a new reason entirely. He was the first player to be penalised under the new code of conduct rules after a first-round incident involving fire ants and a chucked club.
After slicing two balls out of bounds on the sixth hole, Niemann went berserk when he was denied free relief from an ant nest. A flag was kicked, a sand wedge was tossed, and his total of nine was bumped up to 11 with a two-stroke penalty in a chaotic 78.
On Friday, he produced an exceptional 65 that lifted him back to three over, one inside the projected cut. Niemann didn’t try to soften the moment when he spoke about it. ‘Yeah, that was misbehaviour on my part,’ he reflected. ‘I felt a little bit extra penalised by the two-shot penalty. but it kind of helped me have a better round today.’.
For the players who got their day right, the leaderboard offered something different.
Wyndham Clark seized momentum in fine fashion, opening up a four-shot lead on seven under par. Clark has his own US Open history with anger. He was banned by Oakmont Country Club at last year’s US Open after smashing a vintage locker during a bout of rage. and his readmission came with terms that included an anger management course.
On Friday, Clark didn’t bring that drama into the round. He added a 69 to the sublime 64 he shot in his first round, moving the tournament ahead with quiet control. At seven under par. he was four clear of Matt Fitzpatrick. Xander Schauffele. Sam Stevens and Tom Kim going into the weekend. Clark addressed the fallout from last year directly. ‘I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year and rightfully so,’ he said. ‘I’m hoping I can win back the fans because it was a terrible incident.’.
Not everyone saw the same kind of volatility. Rory McIlroy regressed one shot to level par after posting a 71. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, carded a 68 to stay in the mix.
The week at Shinnecock is already showing its temper. For Jon Rahm, that temper finally had a name—and on Friday, he couldn’t hold it back.
US Open Shinnecock Hills Jon Rahm Wyndham Clark Bryson DeChambeau Joaquin Niemann LIV Golf Rory McIlroy Scottie Scheffler PGA Championship runner-up missed cut
Bro said “f*** off” and immediately lost like… 6 shots??
I didn’t even know a golf cut could “slip away” that fast. Sounds like one missed putt totally derailed him which is kinda wild but also kinda relatable if you think about it.
Isn’t Shinnecock like super easy though? I saw someone say it’s mostly about confidence and Rahm was doing fine until he got mad. Also the article says he stepped on the 17th tee and “haemorrhaged” shots, like ok medical metaphor lol. Anyway rooting for him but yeah that double bogey on 16th is brutal.
I love golf but this whole thing reads like he just got unlucky every swing. Drive in bunker, second shot in bunker, third too, then a “six”?? Sounds like the course was cheating honestly. And the profanity part like… sure he’s emotional, but why are they focusing on that more than the actual misses?