Spieth lamented playing the “easy” holes on the course poorly.
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Lowry left Oakmont on Saturday night with a two-shot lead. It was a huge break – within the rules – the kind that major champions often get. Johnson sealed the deal with a birdie on 18 that launched him into golf history and gave him his very first victory in an Open. On the fifth green, Johnson had called another official over after believing that his ball had moved before putting.
The truth is, the U.S. Open usually produces a victor who is nothing like us.
However, the 29-year-old from Offaly then three-putted the 14th, 15th and 16th to end his chances of becoming the first player from the Republic of Ireland to win the US Open.
Perhaps the most hard part to grasp is the fact that Johnson’s penalty situation was one of integrity. Landry is 28, the No. 624 player in the world who finally got a PGA Tour card this year and still hasn’t finished in the top 40 of any tournament. So for it to not affect the outcome is fantastic. So I just played on from there with no penalty.
AFTER the drama of Dustin Johnson’s one-stroke penalty was diffused by his convincing victory, the USGA have responded to the criticism they faced over the handling of the decision. He made four bogeys in his first 10 holes, including on the second, where he spun his approach off the front of the green, and then again three holes later when he found the sand off the tee, couldn’t reach the green with his second and eventually two-putted.
“I still didn’t want the penalty”. I still don’t think I caused the ball to move and I don’t even understand the rule.
If any of those things had happened, an unseemly day for the USGA would have become much bigger. “So it doesn’t bother me at all”. Johnson had never won a major championship – until Sunday, that is.
Johnson scooped up 18-month son Tatum into his arms on Father’s Day and raised the silver trophy for all to see. “They said I did”. “But today, I did”.
“This feels really good”.
He saluted a Pittsburgh crowd that was on his side even amid all the uncertainty. One fan shouted,”What’s the call, USGA?” from his place in the stands, and when Joe Buck from Fox Sports brought up the penalty during the trophy presentation, the fans booed. He finished tied for 15th at 4 over.
World number one Jason Day, who finished tied for eighth six shots behind Johnson, said he couldn’t fault officials for informing Johnson that the penalty might be assessed. He tapped in for par.
“Still, watching the video, I still don’t think I caused the ball to move, but the USGA said I did”.
“We recognise that. But a couple of the other considerations you look at are the player’s actions and also the time that elapses between the player’s actions and the time that the ball moves. He didn’t state a reason”.
Among the first to greet him was Jack Nicklaus, who won his first major at Oakmont in 1962.
That’s what he did, scrambling for pars, keeping his cool, thinking only the major that kept eluding him.
Had Lowry played with Johnson, he would have been playing before the heavy-hitting American on most fairways and could have applied serious pressure to his opponent.
The most painful was past year in the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, when Johnson had a 12-foot eagle putt to win and three-putted for par to lose by one to Jordan Spieth. He missed out on a playoff at the 2010 PGA Championship when he was penalized for grounding his club in a bunker. He was chasing down Darren Clarke in the 2011 British Open when he hit a 2-iron out-of-bounds on the 14th hole. But I led by four shots in the tournament going into the final round.
Shane Lowry smiled and was congenial with the assembled media after finishing the U.S. Open. He birdied the par-5 second and when he made an 8-foot birdie at the ninth, he was tied with Lowry. He closed with a 76.
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After being informed on the 12th tee by a U.S. Golf Association official that he might be penalised after the round, Johnson ran up a three-putt bogey at the 14th but otherwise displayed nerves of steel as he negotiated the closing stretch.
