Dustin Johnson Assessed 1-Stroke Penalty During 2016 US Open Final Round

Dustin Johnson won the 2016 U.S. Open, but he had to deal with a controversial penalty during Sunday's final round. 

Golf.com pointed out Johnson was told rules officials “will review his situation on the fifth green further after the round,” although there was no penalty called at the time.

Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel added some context and noted Johnson told a reporter the USGA will review his play on No. 5 because his ball apparently moved before he putted. Brian Wacker of Golf Digest noted it “sounds a lot like he’s gonna [sic] be hit with a shot.”

Alex Myers of Golf Digest reported Johnson was alerted to the potential infraction when he was on the 12th tee even though the official originally ruled that he didn’t move the ball. According to Myers, the USGA’s Jeff Hall said Johnson had to watch the video following his Sunday round before the final decision was made.

According to Golf Digest, Johnson was ultimately assessed the penalty and finished his tournament at four under par. Fortunately for Johnson, Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry all tied for second at one under par, so the penalty did not impact who won the tournament. 

Johnson commented on the ordeal after the win, per Mike O'Malley of Golf Digest: "It doesn't matter now...and I'm glad it didn't matter, because that would have been bad."

The Cauldron shared a replay of the controversial moment:

"

Close up look at Dustin Johnson's golf ball moving, he may be penalized a stroke after the round https://t.co/MouadHgDpa

— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) June 19, 2016"

Johnson finished with a par on the fifth hole and then parred the 12th hole after he was notified.

A number of fellow PGA Tour players reacted to the situation:

The players weren’t the only ones who disagreed with the way the USGA handled the incident. Wacker pointed out the overall inconsistency as Johnson attempted to win his first major championship:

Andy Glockner of The Cauldron questioned making the decision after the fact because it “would change the way Johnson approaches the rest of the round” as someone in position to win the U.S. Open.

Peter Bukowski of Sports Illustrated called the “retroactive stuff" his “least favorite thing about golf” and “nonsense.”

Kyle Porter of CBS Sports put the situation into perspective by comparing it to Sunday’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals:

On Monday, the USGA issued a statement apologizing for the process in which Johnson was penalized, via Shane Bacon of Fox Sports:

This wasn’t the first time Johnson found himself in the middle of a rules controversy at a major. He missed out on a playoff against Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson at the 2010 PGA Championship because he “grounded his club in what was deemed to be a bunker before his second shot” on the final hole, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com.

The result was a two-stroke penalty, even though the course—Whistling Straits—had some waste areas among the “more than 1,000 bunkers” where players typically could ground their clubs, per Harig. However, the rules for the PGA Championship dictated that all the sand areas, including waste areas, would be considered hazards, which cost Johnson.