Arnold Palmer once played two shots from behind the 12th green at Augusta National because he was certain he should get relief from an embedded ball, even though the official said he could not.
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Johnson self-reported a movement of his golf ball as he was getting ready to putt on the fifth hole. The USGA maintains its ruling was correct because “based on the weight of the evidence, it was more likely than not that Dustin caused his ball to move”.
Johnson’s ball moved as he stepped in for a short par putt on the fifth hole of the final round. “We asked if there was some other reason the ball could have moved”.
Irishman Shane Lowry had led going into final round of the rain-hit tournament, but finished alongside Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy in second place, after a painful 76.
America’s most powerful golfer took matters into his own hands Sunday at Oakmont with a 10-foot par save on the 16th hole, a tee shot he smashed down the middle of the 18th fairway and an approach to 5 feet for birdie that left no doubt who won the toughest test in golf.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Luke Donald and even the usually painfully bland Tiger Woods led a string of star names who closed ranks to launch stinging attacks on the USGA organisers.
NO MORE MONKEY: Johnson was always considered the most powerful and perhaps most talented player in the game. “And that’s where, as I say, I think we bogeyed, and for that we truly regret and furthermore apologise for the way that was handled”.
“We should have applied the ruling after we had time to look at the video and not let the U.S. Open, the final round of the U.S. Open, nearly be in limbo for a period of time”.
Johnson, who turns 32 today, was then assessed the penalty but still won by three strokes.
The bumblers from the U.S. Golf Association could have thrown in a two-shot penalty for not being clean shaven, and Johnson still would have been holding their coveted trophy aloft.
Video enhanced by both slow motion and enlargement shows Johnson did not make contact with the ball during practice strokes, and shows he did not sole his putter behind the ball at address just before it moved.
“It’s not going to be 100pc clear, yes, the player caused the ball to move, but that’s not the standard we’re dealing with”.
“It’s just because being number one in the world, having a lot of expectations on you, having to practise so hard to keep that number one spot, trying to win as many tournaments as I can puts a lot of stress and pressure on your shoulders”.
“I’m sure I learned a lot from today and I don’t know what it is yet, but when I’m in that position again, and I know I will be, I’ll handle it probably a little bit better”.
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“It’s virtually impossible to make a hard enough swing next to the ball to make the ball oscillate or move”.
