Monday 20 June 2016 13:16, UK
US Open champion Dustin Johnson played down the controversy over his penalty shot, while the USGA defended their conduct that Tiger Woods has described as a "farce".
Johnson ended three shots ahead of Shane Lowry and fellow Americans Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy, but he played his last seven holes without knowing if he would be punished for allegedly making his ball move on the fifth green, despite being initially cleared.
His altered four under score proved enough and after celebrating his maiden major title with his family, the 31-year-old from South Carolina was calm over the extraordinary circumstances.
"I told myself I would deal with it when I was done," Johnson told Sky Sports. "I was playing good and I blocked it out and focused on each shot. I didn't let it bother me.
"I knew when they walked up to me on the 12th tee when they said they had been watching it. But who cares? It doesn't matter anymore. I'm glad it didn't matter. That would have been bad."
It seems the whole of golf cared though.
The USGA defended their role by saying: "We wanted Dustin to realise we were concerned [over his grounded club] so he could strategically make decisions that he needed to make for the balance of the round."
But other players and pundits were less understanding. Tiger Woods tweeted: "Some great golf by Dustin Johnson all week, strong way to finish overcoming that rules farce."
Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut at Oakmont, added: "This is ridiculous. No penalty whatsoever for DJ. Let the guy play without this crap in his head. Amateur hour from USGA."
World No 2 Jordan Spieth said: "Let me get this straight. DJ doesn't address it. It's ruled that he didn't cause it to move. Now you tell him he may have? Now? This a joke?"
In his Sky Sports column Colin Montgomerie said: "It has put a shadow over the final round. The USGA should have made the decision within 10 seconds and it should have been sorted straight away, simple as that.
"It clearly had an impact on Johnson, who missed birdie chances and bogeyed the 14th. It's not easy and not fair on Shane Lowry, either, who doesn't know where he stands. It's a ridiculous situation and it's the USGA's fault for letting this drag on."
Irishman Lowry, devastated at being unable to hang on to a commanding 54-hole lead in the final round, insisted he was not affected by the drama but sympathised with Johnson.
"I credit Dustin for playing the way he played on the way in, having that hanging over him, because I probably would have wanted to know straight away if it was me."
Paul McGinley was equally critical of the USGA, rejecting their claims that Johnson had grounded his club.
In his Sky Sports column, he said: "This cannot happen again, in the heat of competition in one of our premier golfing events with a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions we can't have this kind of confusion. Sport thrives around competition and clarity of scoreboards."
