A Minuscule Movement Led to Chaos at the US Open, Resulting in a Major Revision of Golf’s Rulebook.
The 2016 US Open took place at Oakmont, which is set to host the tournament again this year. During the previous event, a barely noticeable shift of a golf ball caused significant disruption.
Dustin Johnson won the tournament that year, marking his first of two major victories. Despite the turmoil in the scorer’s tent, his concentration allowed him to secure the win.
On the final day, Johnson, who was contending with overnight leader Shane Lowry, encountered drama as he made practice strokes on the fifth green and the ball unexpectedly moved. He promptly notified referee Mark Newell, who determined there was no foul, a decision supported by playing partner Lee Westwood.
However, unbeknownst to everyone on the course, while Johnson pressed on with his round, USGA official Craig Winter was scrutinizing the ball movement and had contacted Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s chief governance officer. According to Rule 18.2, if a player is deemed to have caused the ball to move, they should incur a penalty. Winter and Pagel quickly reached a decision, which they communicated to Johnson just before he began teeing off on the 12th hole.
As the situation unfolded, Rory McIlroy expressed his frustration via social media, stating, “This is ridiculous… No penalty whatsoever for DJ. Let the guy play without this crap in his head.” Jordan Spieth echoed similar sentiments, questioning the timing and fairness of the discussion around a potential penalty.
Despite the mounting tension, Johnson remained focused and recorded his first birdie, ultimately finishing four strokes ahead of Lowry. While the officials deliberated, a single-stroke penalty was confirmed, leading to his monumental first major victory. Johnson, reflecting on the experience, said, “I just told myself, we’ll worry about it when we get done.”
In the aftermath, the USGA issued a statement acknowledging the confusion and stating their regret for leaving Johnson in the dark. This incident prompted a full overhaul of the Rules of Golf, leading to a new Local Rule that would eliminate penalties for accidental ball movement on putting greens, effective January 1, 2017. The gravity of the situation underlined the need for improvements in the governance of the sport, ensuring such confusion would not happen again.
