Updated July 17, 2026, 6:27 p.m. ET
Jon Rahm has been warned.
Moments after slamming his club into the ground on the par-3 15th hole at Royal Birkdale, officials with the R&A approached him and gave him a warning under the conduct policy in place for The Open 2026.
The clip from the broadcast shows Rahm throwing his iron to the ground with force as it caroms all the way across the tee box.
A new player conduct policy was put in place by the R&A this year, which was explained at length in a column by Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch earlier this week:
The R&A confirmed to Golfweek that the following policy covering “serious misconduct” is in effect this week at Royal Birkdale: “If a player’s (or their caddie’s) behavior is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf, in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Chief Championships Officer, may issue an official warning or apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact or potential impact, intent and severity of the misconduct. An official warning does not need to be given prior to applying a penalty of two strokes or disqualification.”
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In the broadcast clip, on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman says “this starts a mile left” just as Rahm’s club can be heard slamming the ground.
“And he chucks the club,” said Steve Sands. “Lucky that thing didn’t break,” said Curt Byrum. “Lucky that thing didn’t bounce a little bit left into the crowd,” replied Sands.
A short while later on the stream on Peacock, the announcers mentioned that Rahm was given a warning with the R&A later releasing this statement:
Jon Rahm was issued with an official warning for throwing a club after his tee shot on the 15th hole under The Open serious misconduct policy.
Todd Kelly is an assistant managing editor at Golfweek.