It was not a good first day at Shinnecock Hills for Joaquin Niemann on Thursday, but he bounced back in style on day two.
Shooting six-over-par is never fun, but Niemann was hit with a two-stroke penalty after finishing his round, with an incident on the sixth hole nearly costing him dearly.
Frustration got the better of the Chilean who, after hitting it out of bounds twice, launched his sand wedge which, in-turn, breached the USGA's code of conduct.
Niemann took the penalty on the chin and came out fighting on Friday to shoot a five-under 65, which is still the best score of the day (joint with Collin Morikawa) as things stand.
Speaking to the media after his impressive round, Niemann explained the incident and how it impacted his mindset going into Friday's play at the US Open.
He said: "I hit it two times out of bounds on the right, two bad swings. Then I got pretty frustrated. I'm not someone that likes to behave like that. I'm the first one to judge myself when I don't behave on the golf course.
"That was misbehavior from my part. I felt a little bit extra penalized with a two-shot penalty, but it is what it is. I think I'm going to learn from it. It definitely helped me a little bit to have a better round today."
Expanding on the matter, Niemann added: "Hitting the golf ball at 8.30pm, I felt like my body wasn't quite there.
"I think they blew the horn already. I'm not sure if they did or not, but after I hit that shot, all the frustration that came inside me and I had my club in my hand, and I couldn't resist to throw it away.
"There was no people around, obviously. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes, all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn't go your way, you get frustrated, and that was me there."
Incredibly, Niemann only found out about the penalty 37 minutes before starting his second round on Friday morning.
It didn't have a negative effect, though, clearly.
When asked about his play on day two, the LIV Golf star said: "I hit great tee shots. I kind of went out with a pretty aggressive mindset, and it worked out.
"Sometimes, especially in these tournaments, it could go the other way, and this time it worked."
He was quick to acknowledge the people around him for helping him get back on track quickly and play the way he did today.
"I have a good team around me," Niemann continued. "I finished the round, and I have four or five people on my team around me. I was frustrated. They were trying to get me up. I just tried to do my best."
Thanks to today's performance, Niemann sits three-over for the week, which should be enough to see him make the cut for the weekend.
