Payne Stewart's putt, Dustin Johnson's penalty and Chambers Bay's 'broccoli' greens: Five controversial US Opens

Ahead of this weekend's second major of the year at Erin Hills, we take a look at five controversial US Open moments from years gone by...

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1998 - Olympic Club

A US Open remembered for Payne Stewart's putt on the 18th in the second round, although he was one of many to suffer the same fate.

The pin had been controversially placed in a back-left location and Stewart, who was in the lead at the time and chasing a birdie on the par-four, saw his putt lag to the side of the hole and could only watch on in horror as it rolled back to his feet and he ended up finishing on a bogey.

''I really feel that pin's unfair,'' he said afterwards. ''That green's bordering on ridiculous, where they have that pin. I didn't expect to walk away from that green with a five.''

Stewart held onto the lead through the third round, but eventually slipped to lose to Lee Janzen by just a single stroke. However, his case wasn't helped at the 12th, where he striped his drive down the middle of the fairway only for his ball to finish in a sand-filled divot. He bogeyed, got a warning for slow play, and bogeyed the next as well!

2002 - Bethpage Black

A nightmarish par-four at the 10th caused carnage in 2002. Needing a 260-yard carry to clear the thick rough and reach the fairway, the USGA failed to factor in a strong headwind which made it a real struggle. Mike Weir even said at the time that "probably half the field couldn't reach the fairway".

During a rainy second round there were 15 players in a row who all failed to reach the short grass, but the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, Tom Meeks, who was aware of the problems it may cause, still refused to move the tees up.

Nick Faldo was particularly unhappy. "I had to keep reminding myself, 'I am a golfer,'" he said. "This is not fighting in the jungle. If we had a 15th club, it would have been a machete or a grenade launcher."

2004 - Shinnecock Hills

After two very low scoring opening rounds, the USGA reacted by deciding to stop watering the course to make it firm, fast and altogether more difficult.

However, this led to huge problems on the Sunday as they lost control of the greens and had to start watering many of them between groups just to try and keep them playable.

Eleven players were under par by the end of the second day, but the average score on the final day was 78.7 and not a single player managed to get into red figures on a brutal Sunday, which ended with Retief Goosen being crowned champion for the second time and Phil Mickelson posting one of his six runner-up finishes.

Kevin Stadler was out early and didn't get the benefit of the greens being watered, and things came to a head at the seventh when he saw a short putt trickle past the hole and run all the way off the green.

He said: "I wouldn't describe it as a joke because it is not remotely funny. This is my first US Open and making the cut should have meant the last two days were the best of my golfing life. Instead, I can't wait to get away from this course as fast as possible."

2015 - Chambers Bay

Arguably the most heavily criticised course of the modern era. All the greens, bar two that were relaid, were in extremely poor condition heading into the tournament.

Henrik Stenson was particularly scathing. "It's borderline laughable at some of the greens and some of the pin positions when we're actually almost better off plugged in a bunker than being on the top of a ridge. And it's pretty much like putting on broccoli."

Rory McIlroy, however, thought they had more in common with a different vegetable. "I don't think they're as green as broccoli, I think they're more like cauliflower," he said. "They are what they are, everyone has to putt on them. It's all mental."

Such were the poor quality of the greens that the USGA had to mark dotted lines to help tell where the fairway ended and the green began, while Jordan Spieth was furious to see the 18th played as a par-five on day one and a par-four on day two.

It's not just the players that were left unhappy, as fans were left unable to even get near to two or three holes to watch the action.

Gary Player summed up most people's thoughts when he said: "This has been the most unpleasant golf tournament I've seen in my life."

2016 - Oakmont

The ruling on Dustin Johnson which rendered the final day at Oakmont a farcical affair over the final third of the final round. Johnson birdied the last to close a final-round 68 and end the week five under par, only to be penalised by tournament officials for a moving ball at the fifth.

However, the USGA told the American on the 12th tee he "might" be punished for causing his ball to move, but it wouldn't be reviewed until after the round, and he eventually being handed a one-shot penalty to reduce the size of his victory.

"In my mind it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and once again it's a case of an amateur organisation trying to run an event," said Butch Harmon. "They messed up at Chambers Bay last year and they've just well and truly messed this up."