The USGA had an embarrassing Sunday at the U.S. Open. Apparently it is well aware of that, based on a new statement in which it admitted mistakes regarding the uncertainty of Dustin Johnson’s penalty shot on the fifth green.
USGA issues statement on Dustin Johnson ruling. The organization "regrets the distraction" it caused. pic.twitter.com/NAaBb3rxie
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) June 20, 2016
Well, it’s better late than never, we suppose. Still, a few issues jump out.
One, Johnson brought the movement of the ball to everyone’s attention. That set the chain of events off. If D.J. had never brought it to anyone’s attention, it’s unlikely that anyone at the USGA would have watched a super blown up video of it. Without that, nobody even sees the ball move. If he was trying to get away with something, he never would have brought it up.
Two, Lee Westwood was playing with Johnson. In doing so, he’s protecting the rest of the field. If Westwood and his caddie both agreed that Johnson did not cause the ball to move, that should have been good enough.
Three, how did it take this long to realize the potential issue? The guy was leading the tournament during the back nine on Sunday. It took 24 hours to realize that having a potential penalty/non-penalty lingering might impact not only Johnson, but everyone else?
The USGA’s response was better late than never, but not good enough.