USGA apologizes for ‘distraction’ in US Open

None of it really mattered.

The rules controversy was sparked when Johnson’s ball moved slightly as the American was preparing to attempt his par putt at the fifth hole, shortly after his birdie attempt there from five feet broke left and slid past the cup.

It became a moot point, however, when Johnson birdied the final hole to lead by four, thus securing his win regardless of the penalty assessment.

“I felt like I wasn’t going to be penalised, so I just went about my business”, Johnson said, and when the penalty was indeed assessed, he’d built a big enough lead to make the matter moot. “This created unnecessary ambiguity for Dustin and the other players, as well as spectators on-site, and those watching and listening on television and digital channels”.

USGA senior director of rules and open championships Jeff Hall went appeared during the telecast on FOX to try to explain the situation in an interview that could best be described as awkward.

The guideline for Rule 18-2 is that a player must be penalized if the weight of evidence is more likely than not that he caused it to move. As he was preparing to ground his putter behind the ball, the ball seemed to move backward.

The statement contained a vow that the process of informing players about rulings during rounds will be studied.

“Officials consider all the relevant evidence – including the player’s actions, the time between those actions and the movement of the ball, the lie of the ball, and course and weather conditions”.

Ultimately penalised for a rules infraction on the fifth green after his round ended, Johnson displayed nerves of steel over the closing stretch, making several clutch putts on a day when the entire field struggled on lightning-fast greens.

Watch the behind the scenes action from the US Open by clicking on the link above.

On the 12th tee, however, a USGA official informed Johnson the matter was still under review. Officials allowed Johnson to finish the hole without penalty.

Golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods came to Johnson’s defense on social media, wondering why his word – and that of playing partner Lee Westwood – was not taken.

Meanwhile Johnson showed remarkable mental strength to ensure the distraction would not descend into another hard luck story to go with the his six other tales of what might have been. Officials use this “more likely than not” standard because it is not always apparent what caused the ball to move. “If you think in percentage terms …” How’s he supposed to know what caused it to move?

“This is one of the best weeks I ever drove the ball for sure”, said Johnson, who climbed to third in the world rankings on Monday. You’ve got greens out there with spike marks and pitches.

But the Golden Bear also had a few thoughts about how the USGA handled the controversial ruling regarding Johnson’s ball moving on the 5th green. Dudley said Koepka finally found a spot about 3 inches away from his mark. “No way he made that ball move”.