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Did the USGA handle Dustin Johnson’s U.S. Open ruling properly?

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Dustin Johnson was assessed a one-stroke penalty following the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open, but it didn’t matter. Johnson was able to secure his first major championship despite a whirlwind of controversy.

Here’s what happened.

On the green of hole No. 5 during the final round of the U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson called over a USGA rules official to inform him that his golf ball moved, but that he didn’t cause it to move. The official ruled that he was to play the ball as it lies.

Related: Dustin Johnson’s Winning WITB

A close-up of the incident was showed during the Fox Sports broadcast.

Seven holes later, on the tee box of No. 12, as Johnson held the lead in the event, USGA officials informed him that it would review the possible infraction following the conclusion of his round.

“As we looked at the video we had concerns,” Jeff Hall, the USGA’s managing director of Rules and Open Championships, said. “It’s only fair that we notify Dustin Johnson so that he can adjust his strategy accordingly, and give him an opportunity to see what we saw at the end of the round.”

This caused a stir among broadcasters, golf fans, and many of his PGA Tour peers. Most notably, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth responded to the USGA’s handling of the incident.

Related: The most ridiculous element of the Dustin Johnson ruling isn’t the ruling

Despite the possibility (and ultimate reality) of a one-stroke penalty after Johnson completed his round, he went on to win the 2016 U.S. Open by three shots over Shane Lowry, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy.

See what GolfWRX members are saying about it.

Did the USGA handle Dustin Johnson's U.S. Open ruling properly?

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

117 Comments

117 Comments

  1. mike

    Jul 1, 2016 at 9:41 am

    worst ruling ever with the exception of D.J. and the bunker that ten thousand people trampled and it cost him what should have been his first major. Davis needs to go thinks he’s god and has turned U.S. Open into the worst major of them all by trying to punish all Participants.

  2. Cap'n A

    Jun 20, 2016 at 11:21 pm

    Rule 34-2 says” If a referee has been appointed by the Committee, his decision is final.” Sure seemswhen the official told Johnson to play it as it lay, then that ought to have been a final decision.

  3. Double Mocha Man

    Jun 20, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    Ever play Jenga? USGA rules essentially turn modern golf into that same game… be exceedingly careful… do not move a twig, do not move a blade of grass, do not breathe. I played golf yesterday with a friend and on the 18th he found his drive in the woods… surrounded by a dozen dead sticks. In the process of moving the sticks his ball oscillated. I jokingly called him on it. The ball returned to where it was and he chipped out. No harm, no foul. Even if the ball had moved 2 inches and he replaced it, where is the advantage?! This rule needs to change… it should be more like the rule that says if you nudge your ball off your wooden tee with your driver while addressing it, it is not considered a stroke.

  4. Double Mocha Man

    Jun 20, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    The USGA just came out with an official comment making nice. But I am sorry, it still doesn’t fly. Dustin did nothing to make that ball move other than being in the area of the ball. Uh, he had to be there to putt! This rule is silliness and does not give any trust to the player. Henceforth, I will be putting with a 20 foot long putter to stay clear of the area of the ball. I promise not to anchor it to my chest.

  5. Steve

    Jun 20, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    I think the fact that 99% of golf fans AND professional golfers disagree with the ruling and/or how it was applied says enough. Either the ruling was incorrect (which it was), or they need to take a hard look at their rules and make some necessary adjustments. Their is absolutely no chance that the USGA did anything right here.

  6. Barry S.

    Jun 20, 2016 at 11:02 am

    When did the federal government start running the USGA?

  7. George

    Jun 20, 2016 at 10:37 am

    I imagine at the scorer’s table, Johnson said: “go ahead and give me the penalty so you feel good about yourselves. In fact, write it on a piece of paper I can frame later, and put it inside the f’ing trophy after you etch my name onto it.

  8. tyro

    Jun 20, 2016 at 10:32 am

    Oh cripes! I answered the poll wrong!

    I thought it said did DJ handle the call correctly! I said yes. The USGA did not handle it correctly.

  9. Jacob

    Jun 20, 2016 at 9:07 am

    USGA completely screwed up, they took a great golf tournament and ruined it. I feel the USGA official who fox had on there kept saying “if DJ didn’t move the ball, then what did?”. So he’s implying DJ lied? Golf is a game of integrity, DJ has called a penalty on him self for stepping in a bunker and moving his ball. So, DJ explained to the rules official what happened..the rules official gave him a ruling, and then the USGA went back and reviewed it and had all these questions? They were trying to protect the integrity of the sport? Wrong, they just ruined it. Golf is a game of integrity and if the player said he didn’t touch the ball then he didn’t. Instead they basically said he DJ you are lying, here’s a penalty. The USGA made it all about them and not about the tournament. Thanks USGA, you ruined your reputation and I was considering renewing my membership after it expired. Not anymore, you wonder why everyone is leaving the game of golf. The ball moving on the green rule is completely dumb, this nit picky B.S. they call a rule is a joke. You want people to play, you want golf to gain popularity? How about a set of rules that we all can play by. They say that golf is game where the rules are the same for everyone, but if the guys who are professionals don’t even understand the rules and need an “expert” following them. Then how the hell as an armature golfer can I follow the rules? Stupid, stupid, and more stupid. USGA, you are a joke. I’m glad you sit on your high horse and ruin a great tournament.

    • Jam

      Jun 20, 2016 at 11:26 am

      I agree, the way the rule is written, it almost forces a player to lie to avoid the penalty, which is completely against the integrity of the game. I kept hearing the USGA official saying “we wanted to ask him what could have caused the ball to move?”….Well if Dustin knew for a fact that HE didn’t cause the ball to move, but didn’t know what did, then he’s screwed….BUT if he has said something like “well it was sitting by a little depression and it was a little uneven and that must have been it”, would that have been good? Either was he without a doubt didn’t cause the ball to move, but unless there is something else to point at, they have to penalize him.

  10. pb

    Jun 20, 2016 at 5:39 am

    if The USGA is right (i disagree with their Assessment) Then I have 2 questions . 1) why are they allowed to review the decision of the first referee?
    2). why only a 1 shot penalty? according to them he caused the ball to move. in which case it should have been replaced. so if the USGA were being consistent they should have given him a 2 shot penalty.

    • Jb

      Jun 20, 2016 at 9:26 am

      A bit late to the show, aren’t you

    • Donald Quiote

      Jun 20, 2016 at 10:56 am

      You might want to try reading some of this before just posting the same thing that has been addressed 15 times already

  11. Johny Thunder

    Jun 20, 2016 at 4:27 am

    I don’t generally dislike the USGA, and unlike some people (whom I don’t understand), I do, believe golf needs a strong ruling and governing body to make rules. A game without rules is entirely pointless. If amateurs playing strictly for fun choose to “bend” those rules, that’s fine. The game still stands.

    The US Open, in MANY instances over the years I’ve been watching golf (1995-present) is almost UNWATCHABLE. I have no interest in seeing a tricked-up funhouse carnival-ride of a golf course – something that looks more like a “goof” course from a computer game. I have no interest in watching pros play a Jokemont – where the ego of the membership and architects come before a fair and even test of skill. When even the negative commentators think the course is “borderline unfair”, then it probably is – and short of Johnny Miller, I can’t think of more negative commentators than Azinger and Strange.

    Rough that can’t be played out of, green that don’t hold well-struck short irons, putts that are barely touched from 20 feet and “trickle” another 7 feet past… it’s not golf, it’s a mockery. Who would want to play such a course. This is not a random act of conditions, this is a deliberate and consistent pattern of the USGA and the US Open. What was the average score for the top 10 players in the world – +15? MC? It’s hard to know whether to yawn, vomit, or change stations.

    • spazo

      Jun 20, 2016 at 11:07 am

      it’s funny that you start out saying you “don’t generally dislike the USGA,” then go on to say all the things you dislike about what the USGA is. They are egomaniacs who must assert their control over the golf world. Do you know how the USGA is organized? Almost everyone in charge is a current or former lawyer. They have a supremacy complex about everything they do.

  12. Jack

    Jun 20, 2016 at 3:57 am

    DJ is a moron and a bad sport but he is probably the best player in the world right now, and the USGA got this one right. As seen in the video the ball didn’t move until man-child DJ put his putter behind the ball. If it wasn’t caused by the putter, then what did cause it to move? Brain dead DJ still won the tourney so let’s move on… For the girls below complaining about green speed, perhaps if the golfers were just making a little more money the injustice of the same would seem more commensurate. Oh the humanity!

    • Johny Thunder

      Jun 20, 2016 at 4:14 am

      So, clearly you didn’t watch any of the tournament, nor do you play golf. I saw balls that looked like they had stopped several dozen times and then started moving again. In this case, the ball rolled maybe 1/4 turn. This could have been caused by the slightest unevenness in the grass, or, in this case, the extreme speed and slope of the greens. If Dustin wasn’t near the ball, he would not have been deemed to have moved it. But because he was, he is deemed to have done so. He grounded his club twice for practice strokes, and the camera angle is deceptive – if you watch him on any other putt of the round, he was NOT as close to the ball as he appeared to be from that camera angle. (Camera angle noted by the commentators on a 4 1/2′ foot putt that looked like 2′ earlier.) And he VERY CLEARLY does NOT ground the putter behind the ball before it moves – so how could he have caused it to move BACKWARDS? This defies the laws of physics, the intelligence of the USGA officials, and apparently some folks who frequent Golfwrx. The USGA was wrong, and though Dustin praised it, the greens weren’t far from being unplayable at Jokemont.

    • Jam

      Jun 20, 2016 at 11:30 am

      You’re clueless, did you lose money on DJ winning or something?

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      He must have a magnet in his putter that attracts golf balls… that must be why the ball moved backwards. Makes sense, right? Do you get penalized for having a magnet in a putter? What does the USGA say about that? Shouldn’t he (DJ) get some kind of credit for inventing a magnet that works on something that’s not made of iron? The man is a genius to do that.

  13. Sp

    Jun 20, 2016 at 2:45 am

    Quit making the greens at stimp of 14, and quit rolling them. Bring them back to stimp of 8 or 9, don’t roll them, just cut them, and then raise the rough another 4 inches and tighten fairways by another 5 yards on either side, and then bring the courses back to 6500 or less, and repeal the ball.
    That should solve all these problems. The ball will never move on greens at normal speed, they’ll just sit there. Why do they cut the rough at all anyways? Just let it grow wild in areas beyond the first cut. Not DJ’s fault. The USGA can’t make up its mind because there’s too much money involved in TV and sponsors around the world.

  14. michael johnson

    Jun 20, 2016 at 2:37 am

    johnson should have been disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior. whereas the real winner of the american golf tournament, shane lowry, would have and did call a penalty upon himself, the american golfer johnson did not.

    • Ben

      Jun 20, 2016 at 8:29 am

      HAHAHAHA. Still mad Lowry choked eh mate?

    • Spuds

      Jun 20, 2016 at 4:22 pm

      What bad sportsmanship are you talking about, DJ never addressed the ball so he did not cause the ball to move, end of story.

      • michael johnson

        Jun 20, 2016 at 5:06 pm

        he was penalized. what are you talking about?

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 11:48 am

      Hey, Michael, you’re a tiger fan, right?

  15. cb

    Jun 20, 2016 at 1:41 am

    that idiot talking about physics clearly only watched the video from a distance or without being able to zoom in. as soon as the putter is behind the ball the logo actually goes down first (indicating forward movement) and then the logo goes up (indicating movement backwards). what probably happened is he inadvertently tapped the ball and it moved a tad forward but the tap wasn’t strong enough for it to continue so it came back to its original position.

    • bc

      Jun 20, 2016 at 9:08 am

      if it returns to the original position it is deemed to have NOT moved.

      • bc

        Jun 20, 2016 at 9:12 am

        NBA to follow suit….. they are reviewing 3 potential fouls on Cavs players. Warriors may have 6 free throws still to win title. They will make final decision after the victory parade.

  16. The Real Swanson

    Jun 20, 2016 at 1:08 am

    This site is no better. Where is the ‘Dustin Johnson wins US Open’ story?

  17. The Real Swanson

    Jun 20, 2016 at 12:57 am

    You could say the same of this site. Why is is the lead story this crap instead of ‘Dustin Johnson wins US Open’.

  18. Steve Buchanan

    Jun 20, 2016 at 12:52 am

    Johnson overcomes the course, the field and the goofy ruling by the USGA. Why would we question the USGA? Oh, I don’t know, maybe the debacle of sand greens at Chamber’s Bay, Shinnicock years ago, and lots of other dumb things.

  19. James

    Jun 20, 2016 at 12:36 am

    After much thought, I agree with the masses that the USGA got this wrong.

    My biggest complaint is, why in the world would you walk up to someone in the middle of a round and say, basically,”Hey, we think you may have broken down a rule-we don’t really know yet, but just want you to know you might be penalized. Again, we don’t know, but just wanted to let you know.” That’s beyond idiotic.

    All video evidence showed the putter wasn’t soled, and even with looking at the practice strokes in super-slow-mo, the timing still doesn’t add up as the USGA says it does.

    What’s next? A rule that states the amount of time down to the millisecond of when a ball moves you are have to said to caused it even when you DONT address it?

    USGA deserves all the hate coming it’s way in the next 24 hours.

  20. Smokin'Gun

    Jun 20, 2016 at 12:22 am

    DJ 1 USGA 0

  21. Mark

    Jun 19, 2016 at 11:20 pm

    They better redefine the rule then and have exact details as to what may cause a ball to move and not. If you take a practice stroke 3 inches from the ball and it moves you are not to have caused it to move…

    • Joe

      Jun 20, 2016 at 12:21 am

      His practice strokes were closer than 3 inches, less than 2 inches. Besides the practice strokes were not in question as to making the ball move. IF, he made the ball move it would have been when he hovered behind the ball. I did not see the putter touch the ball, and it moved back and not forward. With greens as fast as they were the ball may have been setting precariously. Just about anything might have caused it to move.

      They asked him what he thought would make it move if it was not him. That was not a fair question, he already said he did not make it move, now they want him commit himself and then pick it apart.

      Personally, I feel they should have waited until the round was finished and then reviewed the footage.
      As it turns out, it makes no difference

      • Jam

        Jun 20, 2016 at 11:29 am

        I honestly think it needs to be “Did you come in direct contact with the ball causing it to move”, that’s the only way you can do it and not have controversy.

    • Tim

      Jun 20, 2016 at 12:56 am

      WHO Cares about the rule!! Get video replay out of golf!!!!!!!!!!!! GET IT THE EFF OUT!!!

  22. KJ

    Jun 19, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Okay, let’s get out of this ridiculous rule. Unless the player unintentionally moves the ball by touching it, it should be replaced without penalty. Done! No need to call over a rules official or go to the video. It’s a gentlemen’s game as exemplified by Bobby Jones. Let the gentlemen play. DJ did nothing wrong or outside the routine he has had for thousands of putts. This rule should applied “through the green”.

    There’s just no way to fairly interrupt the current rule. It’s much too subjective as written. It is also rare when a ball moved improves a player’s situation. Just replace it and be done with it. Let them play!

  23. Nath

    Jun 19, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    Fair Dinkum, He Got it!! Good on ya D.J
    All the rest y’all including USGA ..!..

  24. Mike

    Jun 19, 2016 at 10:54 pm

    Everything being said is moot. The official at the site ruled no penalty. Done, Done, DONE DEAL!!! United States Golf Ass. is always asking, no begging me for money. Never, Never, Never! Please go broke. You don’t do a thing for me.

    • Blue

      Jun 19, 2016 at 11:19 pm

      I’m w/you Mike. Done w/the USGA unless they issue a correction (not likely).

      • Joe

        Jun 20, 2016 at 12:28 am

        Its never done until they quit letting people call in with what they think is a violation.

        It should be like in other sports; if it isn’t called when it happens then as said above “its a moot point”.

        Incidentally, I had moot for breakfast.

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 11:53 am

      And…. according to USGA rule 34.2, the USGA violated their own rules by changing the decision of the referee in the Johnson-Westwood pairing, who ruled no penalty.

  25. Robert

    Jun 19, 2016 at 10:30 pm

    The USGA and a few people in this comment section are complete idiots.

  26. Marc

    Jun 19, 2016 at 10:11 pm

    I have a bigger issue with DJ getting a drop out of the cabbage and into a the 1st cut. You should not be able to improve your lie that much. So it was a temporary moveable object (tower). He should have been forced to go back as far as he likes as long as he drops in the same rough. The rules of golf can be so anal yet somehow you can dramatically improve your lie without penalty and then hit a shot directly over the object that gave you the option to take a drop to begin with. I felt the USGA dinged Dustin with a penalty as a way of trying to even that one out. Either way he was the best player this week.

    • Dj

      Jun 20, 2016 at 12:04 am

      It’s line of site, not whether it’s in the way of your shot. It was a fair drop, end of story.

    • Joe

      Jun 20, 2016 at 12:29 am

      Why do you have an issue with him taking fair advantage of the rules?

      If you know the rules they can work with you or against you.

      • Marc

        Jun 20, 2016 at 6:17 pm

        I know it was the correct ruling, I just don’t think line of sight entitles you to a dramatically better lie. Small potatoes but if Lee Westwood (same pairing) hits the left rough but is 30 yards back and can see the pin he would have to to play from the rough. Golf has some “iffy” rules that need some reconsidering.

    • Jam

      Jun 20, 2016 at 11:33 am

      I agree here, the drop was legal, but I don’t feel right about a guy sniping a tee shot into the rough and then getting to drop in a way better lie. I don’t think you should be able to change cuts personally, but doubt the rule will ever change.

    • Briggsky

      Jun 20, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      There is no mention of rough in the rules of golf. It’s either teeing ground, through the green and putting surface. Every player is allowed line of site if there is an unnatural obstruction. Players often get relief from the fringe to the putting surface.

  27. Tony

    Jun 19, 2016 at 10:05 pm

    So then 34-2 is irrelevant.

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 11:56 am

      The boneheads (Davis, Hart and Pagel) don’t even know their own rule book…. or choose to ignore what’s in it, sort of like a certain current United States President.

  28. dr bloor

    Jun 19, 2016 at 9:57 pm

    Incorrect decision, handled poorly.

    Your USGA in action.

  29. Double Mocha Man

    Jun 19, 2016 at 9:43 pm

    And the USGA wonders why golfers are leaving the game in droves. This kind of BS ruling plays a part. The ball was on a microscopic ridge and needed to roll back a bit. It was only a coincidence Dustin’s putter was floating in the air behind the ball at that moment. Sorry, I would have never called that on myself.

      • Hippocamp

        Jun 19, 2016 at 9:49 pm

        Shane Lowry caused the ball to move.
        DJ did not.
        Simple distinction.

        • Chuck

          Jun 19, 2016 at 10:02 pm

          Lowry was presumed to have caused the ball to move.

          And so was Johnson.

          The difference was that Lowry called it on himself. Johnson forced the USGA to call it. Lowry (by all accounts I know of) simply soled the putter head behind the ball. He didn’t tap it or nudge it. He placed the putter near the ball, and the ball moved. Bad break. Too bad those greens are so ridiculously shaved and rolled. Johnson simply placed his putter near the ball, just like Lowry. Some will say that the difference was that Lowry actually soled his putter. I’m not sure that makes a difference under the Decisions pursuant to 18-2.

          • Blue

            Jun 19, 2016 at 10:12 pm

            Lowery ADRESSED his stroke and DJ did not. By written rule lowery moved it. That is the difference. The rules official w the group agreed w DJ. It’s b.s. Green speed and firmness of green just as easily moved the ball.

            • Chuck

              Jun 19, 2016 at 10:17 pm

              That is a great misconception.

              The official on 5 didn’t “agree” with Johnson. I don’t think the official saw anything. He had to ask Johnson what happened. Again, as I say below, this is not football. There are not six referees watching all the plays, and the players are happy to get away with any contact that they can.

              The official on 5 didn’t have the video. Reviewing the video, I get the impression that the USGA had no difficulty at all in assessing the penalty.

              • Blue

                Jun 19, 2016 at 11:40 pm

                Ask yourself this… if the greens are shaggy, soft and running 5-6 on the stimp v. 13-14 and firm, does the ball move? If you think it would than you think DJ is the reason the ball moved. If not, then it is more probable than not that the conditions of the course caused the ball to move. This a bad ruling. It was also delayed (7holes) and impacted the play of others who didn’t know the exact score of the leader. They are lucky it didn’t come down to a tie at the end of the day.

              • Dj

                Jun 20, 2016 at 12:05 am

                You’re some kind of special.

              • Double Mocha Man

                Jun 20, 2016 at 12:12 pm

                But, like in football or in baseball, the call, right or wrong, needs to be made right then and there. And be final. Then the game goes on and everybody knows where he/she stands. No boogieman (bogeyman) penalty stroke when you finish and are in the clubhouse.

              • Steve

                Jun 20, 2016 at 12:53 pm

                “Again, as I say below, this is not football. There are not six referees watching all the plays”

                You’re absolutely right. There are not 6 referees watching all the plays. There are also not 22 men running around a field at 20mph. These golf referees are watching 1 guy at a time hitting (what should be) a stationary object. Their job is WAY easier than a football referees.

              • Earll

                Jun 22, 2016 at 12:00 pm

                The official ruled “no penalty”.

                Putting the putter on the ground behind the ball and not putting the putter on the ground are NOT the same thing.

          • Steve

            Jun 20, 2016 at 12:58 pm

            This tells me all I need to know. The difference isn’t that Lowry called it on himself and Johnson didn’t. The difference is that Lowry addressed the ball and Johnson didn’t. If you can’t see that actually soling the putter behind the ball COULD make the ball roll backwards and hovering the club behind the ball CAN’T, then there’s no point in discussing this with you.

          • Jimmy D

            Jun 20, 2016 at 1:03 pm

            Actually the Decisions provide a specific example that indicates DJ should not have been penalized for the ball moving on #5:
            “With reference to the considerations above, examples of situations where the weight of the evidence would indicate that the player did not cause the movement are: (1st example = obvious wind),
            A player’s ball lies on an upslope in a closely-mown area. He makes a practice swing, but does so some distance from the ball as he is concerned that the ball may move. He carefully takes his stance but does not ground his club. Prior to making his backswing for the stroke, the ball moves. As the ball did not move while the player made the practice swing or took his stance, it is more likely than not that other factors (i.e., the ball’s lie on an upslope) caused the ball to move. (New)”
            DJ was careful during his practice swings and did NOT ground his club while taking his stance. No Penalty. OTOH, the 2 club length relief from the TIO on #10 is a completely different matter…

  30. BB

    Jun 19, 2016 at 9:29 pm

    I sure hope that I saw this wrong on the broadcast. It appeared that the official scoring showed DJ signed for a 68. After signing his card the penalty was assessed. That would meant DJ signed an incorrect scorecard and should be DQ’d. I hope I’m wrong…

    • Brian

      Jun 19, 2016 at 9:51 pm

      If the penalty isn’t assessed until after the scorecard is signed, a player cannot be dqed as at the time it was signed, the score was correct.

  31. Johnnythunders

    Jun 19, 2016 at 9:18 pm

    I will never have anything to do with the Usga anything connected to the usga.

    Thursday we went to oakmont, $11o ticket. Usga site said 25 minuted shuttle ride from the Blue parking lot. Took 40 minutes and when we get to the course, the horn blew suspnding play, they would not let use off the bus, ok so we wait, no usga says back to the lots. We have 5 volunteers and usga rukes offical on the bus. Nope, 40 minutes back to the parking lot, get there and they are making people get off buses and go back thru security lines AFTER play has resumed. Our usga rules officals say no way, the idiot person demanded we get off th bus and go to our cars or back thru the lines, they argued fir 10 minutes and finally let us go, another 40 minutes back to course, watch maybe 6 holes of golf they that was it as play was suspended. I get the weather but thse logistics ere a joke.

    They this Dustin Johnson debacle.

    USGA is a bunch of amatuers, their giant rule book and enforcement is a joke.

    Goodbye USGA, you suck!

  32. Donkey Face

    Jun 19, 2016 at 9:03 pm

    Ehhh-Orrrrrr

  33. Stevemac

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:56 pm

    The USGA and Oakmont proved that they are pretty full of themselves. If I hear anymore Mike Davis diva talk, or the Oakmont members wanting their course back and to play like it normally does. It does rain. We would trade for only 3 inches of rain after what we have had. Clearly they were going to assess him a penalty, and how do you answer ‘what could have caused it to move’. How about triple rolling, and double cutting, and crazy pin positions.
    It should not be the intent to try to embarass.

    • Logical

      Jun 19, 2016 at 9:14 pm

      Amen! I’m with you, I can’t stand the ridiculous overblown talk about the course this year. If it wasn’t “good enough” with the rain, maybe it’s just not a good enough layout anymore.

  34. Tony

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    34-2. Referee’s Decision
    If a referee has been appointed by the Committee, his decision is final.

    Did the USGA go against their own rulebook penalizing DJ after a referee alreay declared no penalty?

    • Steve

      Jun 19, 2016 at 8:56 pm

      Would it surprise you if they did?

    • Chuck

      Jun 19, 2016 at 9:16 pm

      The referee’s decision was indeed final, in absolving Johnson from an additional penalty for not replacing the ball at rest which was moved. But not as to Johnson’s final score.

      So many of you seem to think that all of this is like basketball or baseball or football, where if a call goes your way and the refs don’t see something, you laugh and just keep going.

      Sorry, this is golf. Don’t bother with Golf, by the Rules, if you don’t like them. You can go to the course, and hit balls and do whatever you like. Nobody demands that you play golf by the Rules. But you ought to be careful when you start bad mouthing USGA Rules officials who have spent hundreds of hours studying the Rules and the Decisions and being tested on it.

      • Steve

        Jun 19, 2016 at 10:17 pm

        Then you’d think they wouldn’t have messed up something as easy as this.

        • Chuck

          Jun 19, 2016 at 10:18 pm

          I don’t think they messed up. I keep asking people to tell me exactly what the USGA should have done differently.

          • Scottyrocket

            Jun 19, 2016 at 10:46 pm

            Make the ruling at the time of the “violation” I think they were so afraid of making a bad call that they delayed making it. Just have the guts to say it’s a one stroke penalty and move on. Whether it was a violation or not can be debated forever but letting a guy hang on this for the last holes of a major when he is in the lead is pretty silly.

          • Nicholas Pursel

            Jun 19, 2016 at 10:57 pm

            Not call a penalty for no reason. He didn’t address the ball, if your putter is in the air you aren’t addressing the ball and shouldn’t be assessed the penalty. They also could have told DJ the second they knew they were going to assess the penalty that he had a penalty. Not wait until the end of his round, do it the second they know. Thats only fair not only for DJ but for the rest of the field. You can’t argue this was the right decision if you actually know the rules

          • Nicholas Pursel

            Jun 19, 2016 at 11:08 pm

            Listen to what the on course official says. “If you didn’t address the ball then play it as it lies” Where in the rules of golf do you see anything different? I am sorry man but you’re all over this thread and just flat out wrong.

            • Chuck

              Jun 19, 2016 at 11:38 pm

              The USGA disagrees with you. I am quite literally on the same page with them.

          • RedX

            Jun 20, 2016 at 3:11 am

            +1 to this Chuck. The walking rules official couldn’t have seen anything conclusive. Once DJ stated he didn’t cause it to move the official confirms play on without replacement. Crucially he didn’t rule in favour of DJ’s view, simply in response to it. Thereafter the matter is assessed based on the evidence available. Subjective yes – by definition.

            Yes its tough to swallow. Ask Lowry the day prior (who’s ball also moved backwards by the way for those physics majors above) or, differently Horschel on 15 at the Masters. I’m not saying the events are identical (what events in golf are ever identical) but they are part of the rules – if not CODE – that we sign up to. Personally – I would have called the penalty on myself and moved on.

            Sad discussion all round though. DJ was the best golfer of the week and won the event and I don’t question his integrity.

            Maybe there will be some positives come from the focus on the incident but really – lets focus on the achievement

            • Donald Quiote

              Jun 20, 2016 at 10:43 am

              If DJ would have touched behind the ball with his club I could understand the ball rolling backwards. He could have coved a blade of grass that was holding the ball in place but his club was in the air. If this is how they are going to enforce the rule then they should have never changed it to begin with. What if this had happened to Bill Haas ball on sunday? Not picking on him but just someone who is not on TV the whole day. They would have went with he did not cause the ball to move. This was a bad move by the USGA. First of all If you are going to force a penalty stroke on someone then just do it. Don’t be afraid of calling it. Second you need to make things more clear. So really the rule is you have to be able to prove you did not cause the ball to move or you will get a penalty. It was obvious by the players outcry for DJ that they all agree with how ridiculous this whole ruling and situation was. I believe they understand how a ball could have moved on those greens without DJ causing it.

      • Earll

        Jun 22, 2016 at 12:11 pm

        “The referee’s decision was indeed final, in absolving Johnson from an additional penalty for not replacing the ball at rest which was moved. But not as to Johnson’s final score.”

        That’s absurd.

        ONce the referee ruled there was no penalty, the ball is in play where it moved to, because he’s agreeing Johnson didn’t cause it to move, therefore, Johnson doesn’t have to move it back. And because the ref ruled there’s no penalty, the boneheads can’t change his score by adding any penalty shots due to the movement of the ball.

        YOU may feel that the USGA can play loosely with their own rules and change their rules on the fly, but they can’t. They, and you, are subject to the rules AS THEY ARE WRITTEN, not the way YOU want them to be. Read the rules, read rule 34.2 in particular, and then stop making the ridiculous and absurd arguments you’ve been making in this discussion. Please. You’re making yourself look silly to a whole lot of people. Quit while you’re only this far behind.

  35. Philip

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    Rule 18-2b (revision 2016) and rule defining addressing the ball which is grounding the club in front of or behind the ball. From the above video (unless it is incomplete) he did not appear to address the ball, thus under rule 18-2b the ball is to be played in its new position without penalty. So unless there is different footage showing him addressing the ball and not just resting his club on the ground beside the ball – I just do not get the USGA. These should be the best of the best when it comes to rules officials.

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 12:14 pm

      Unfortunately, Phillip, there are certain people (Davis, Hall, Pagel, Chuck) who don’t like to follow the rules in the USGA book of rules, and will ignore the ones that go against their agenda.

  36. Tony

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:48 pm

    Did the USGA go against their own rule is assessing DJ a penalty after a referee already declared no penalty?

    34-2. Referee’s Decision
    If a referee has been appointed by the Committee, his decision is final.

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 12:20 pm

      Tony, they most certainly did…. They don’t know their own book of rules, fools that they are.

  37. Robert

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:45 pm

    I will never give another dime to the USGA as that was terrible to penalizing Dustin after he won the U.S.Open as I know it doesn’t matter either way so just let it go. You guys are lucky that he won by 3 shots or I could see a big boycott in people supporting the USGA ever again. Congratulations to Dustin

  38. Walter

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    No clear evidence, when the ball moves backwards. If the ball had moved forward or sideways, then the answer is YES. Gravity, wind, or grass indent, made the ball move backwards.
    Just my thoughts.

    • Chuck

      Jun 19, 2016 at 9:01 pm

      Your assertion of “no clear evidence” seals Johnson’s fate. Under the Decisions, if there is no clear evidence that exculpates the golfer, it is a penalty. The presumption is that the golfer did it.

      Don’t you guys realize that this wouldn’t even have been an issue last year? DJ would have been penalized on the spot. They are actually trying to relax the rule.

      From Decision 18-2/0.5:

      “If the weight of evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the
      player caused the ball to move, even though that conclusion is not free from
      doubt, the player incurs a one-stroke penalty under Rule 18-2…”

      • Logical

        Jun 19, 2016 at 9:11 pm

        But the weight of the clear video evidence does NOT, in any way, indicate to me that he caused the ball to move. This was a ridiculous ruling that does seem to contradict the committee appointed referee’s decision at the moment it happened. NOTHING in that video would indicate under the new rule that he should have been assessed the penalty, he clearly had nothing to do with the ball moving.

      • Wally

        Jun 19, 2016 at 9:13 pm

        Great I see your point, now explain to me again how he gets the ball to move backwards with his club behind the ball?

      • TD

        Jun 19, 2016 at 9:39 pm

        Clear evidence lies in the shadow of the putter face, the ball rolls backwards and he did not ground the club behind the ball! Clear as a trampled sand trap!

      • Earll

        Jun 22, 2016 at 12:22 pm

        Chuck: “GUILTY until proven innocent!”

        You must think the guy has a magnet in his putter that attracts non-metal objects… BRILLIANT ! ! !

  39. Chuck

    Jun 19, 2016 at 8:34 pm

    Yes. Upon review, with Johnson, and a video monitor, and all of the rules officials, a stroke penalty was apparently assessed.

    Everybody wants to hate on the USGA; I don’t. Especially not for the wrong reasons. The greens were ultrafast, because they think that is what is needed, to protect an irreplaceable historic championship course from equipment technology that is out of control.

    If anybody wants to suggest what should have been done differently in this situation, be my guest. But be specific. And reference the Rules and the Decisions.

    • TD

      Jun 19, 2016 at 8:45 pm

      The ball moved backwards…ON ITS OWN. The blade NEVER touched the ball. LOOK AT THE SHADOWS…

      • Hippocamp

        Jun 19, 2016 at 8:50 pm

        EXACTLY! The ball moved BACKWARD without DJ grounding his club behind it. If he had touch the ball, it would have rolled FORWARD. Only possible cause is gravity or wind.

      • Tom

        Jun 20, 2016 at 12:10 pm

        The ball was stationary before D J moved the putter behind the ball, at which point the ball moved. Why? what caused the ball to move?

        • Steve

          Jun 20, 2016 at 1:12 pm

          What caused it to move? It could’ve been a lot of things – greens rolling at a 14+, a baby gust of wind, gravity, etc?

          The only things we do know (via video and DJ’s word) are that DJ never touched the ball or the ground behind the ball. How could he have caused it to move backwards? Magic?

          • Tom

            Jun 20, 2016 at 1:56 pm

            I think people see what they wanna see. I swear I saw the ball move forward then back as his putter was behind the ball.

            • Steve

              Jun 20, 2016 at 9:26 pm

              You must’ve wanted to see the ball move forward then. It didn’t.

              • Tom

                Jun 21, 2016 at 11:44 am

                we’ll have to agree to disagree. have a great summer.

    • Philliedog

      Jun 19, 2016 at 8:51 pm

      Brought to you by a usga sycophant

      • Chuck

        Jun 19, 2016 at 9:10 pm

        Hahahaha. My USGA bag tag says “Member Since 1987.”

        I am guessing that you are one of a great many who know absolutely nothing about Bob Jones calling an “oscillation” penalty on himself at Inwood in 1925. The penalty put him into a playoff for the U.S. Open championship, which he lost. No one saw the ball move, but Jones. When he was later congratulated for his sportsmanship, Jones said, “You may as well congratulate me for not robbing a bank.”

        • Hippocamp

          Jun 19, 2016 at 9:34 pm

          “During the first round, Jones was getting set to hit an iron shot out of the rough on the 11th hole when he felt his club move the ball ever so slightly”

          Jones caused the ball to move.

          DJ did not.

          Simple distinction.

        • GMatt

          Jun 20, 2016 at 10:30 am

          And we’re supposed to be impressed with your bag tag? Please…..

    • Steve

      Jun 19, 2016 at 8:54 pm

      What’s something that should’ve been done differently? Assessing the penalty – there shouldn’t have been one. There’s absolutely 0 evidence that he did anything to make that ball move. He didn’t touch the ball, and he never soled the club behind the ball.

    • Larry

      Jun 19, 2016 at 10:16 pm

      God forbid someone shoot a final score of under par in a Pro golf tourney.
      Par is the average score of all players not just the best of the best and even if you did just make it the best of the best it still would not be considered par if 95% of the fireld shot over par. USGA are clueless honestly.

      • Ally

        Jun 20, 2016 at 6:05 am

        “Par is the average score of all players”

        No it’s not. Go back to the person who told you that and ask them to explain it properly!

      • Matto

        Jun 20, 2016 at 7:36 am

        actually about 25over par is the average score for all golfers.

    • Earll

      Jun 22, 2016 at 12:25 pm

      The fools ignored rule 34.2…. and the decision the referee made. And certain people here also seem to disregard the decision made by the referee as per rule 34.2

      Davis and his gang of idiots had no right to butt in and make any ruling, per rule 34.2 … read it and you’ll see why.

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