A controversial drop shot once stopped Dustin Johnson winning his first major but in farcical scenes he overcame similar circumstances to win his first major at the US Open.
Johnson finished on -4 to win at Oakmont by three shots to Ireland's Shane Lowry who started the final round by four shots only to see his lead disappear not helped by three bogeys in a row on the 14th, 15th and 16th.
'DJ' was told on the 12th hole by officials that a penalty shot was being reviewed after his ball moved on the fifth green but rather than being able to give him a decision then and there he was told he'd have to wait till the end of his round for a decision. That easily could have played on the mind of golf's nearly man and for a time it looked like it might.
Advert
Johnson dropped a shot on the 14th and with no one knowing whether or not he'd be signing for a penalty shot his round could have collapsed. Instead he parred the next three before a birdie at the last left him four shots ahead of Lowry, Scott Piercy and Jim Furyk.
After his round the champion was informed that the drop shot had been upheld but unlike at the 2010 PGA Championship, where a controversial two shot penalty cost him his first major, the farcical drop did not cost him.
His first major title comes just a year after triple putting the last at Chambers Bay in last year's US Open to hand the title to Jordan Spieth and following 11 top 10 finishes in major championships.
The two time Ryder Cup player, who moves up to third in the world rankings, saw the ball move back on the fifth green after two practice swings but both playing partner Lee Westwood and a USPGA official confirmed he hadn't approached the shot however on the 12th another official confirmed that the 'shot' in question was being looked at.
Advert
Afterwards the 31 year-old said the incident hadn't affected him on the course and summed up the issue perfectly saying, "Who cares, it doesn't matter any more."
Featured Image Credit: