Another Major Gaffe for Dustin Johnson

"I just had my fingernails painted. Want to see?"

A few months back, an unheralded golfer named Dustin Johnson had a 3 stroke lead going into the last round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.  He OWNED the course on Saturday.  We all know what happened next on Sunday.  Meltdown city.

No big deal.  I mean what young guy doesn’t melt down going into the Sunday round of a major with a lead?  It happens and everyone chalks it up to a great learning experience  (see: Nick Watney).

In the final round of this weekend’s PGA Championship, Dustin Johnson had the chance of a lifetime to redeem himself from his horrible last round performance at the U.S. Open.  Going into the last hole, he needed a par to clinch his first major win.  Oh, how great it would be.  He could probably taste it.

We all know what happened.  He missed his drive horribly right, missed the green, recovered with an unbelievable flop shot, and stood over a make-able putt for par and the championship.  Missed the putt, but bogeyed for a playoff… or so we thought.

Turns out, his second shot was actually out of a bunker and he grounded the club, therefore, incurring a 2-stroke penalty which took him out of the playoff.  Apparently, the posted local rules addressed this very possibility.  From the ESPN.com Gene Wojciechowski column:

But behind them, taped just to the right of a body-length mirror, was an 8×10 white sheet of paper that, in its own bizarre, inconceivable way, also helped determine the winner. On it were 97 words that changed Dustin Johnson’s life…

It was right there in black and white: “All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes, as well as some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include numerous footprints, heel prints and tire tracks during the play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available from these conditions.”

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I feel bad for Dustin, but I don’t think he got screwed.  The rules were well-defined beforehand.  As Dustin prepared to hit his second shot, I can see how he could get caught up in the moment and forget to think about alternate scenarios about his lie.  However, isn’t that the job of his caddy?

The person that should take the most blame here has to be Dustin Johnson’s caddy.  He should have been able to take the proverbial step back and assess the situation, realize the possibilities of the lie, and warn Dustin not to ground his club.

It is what it is.  Who knows if Dustin would have been able to beat a red-hot Martin Kaymer or a go-for-broke Bubba Watson.  Certainly, the 2-stroke penalty has already turned into a controversy and dominated most sports columns and talk radio (well, at least for one day).  Thinking out loud, what if Dustin had made the par putt on 18, rejoiced in winning his first major, and then had it taken away?  If what really happened is causing rumbles, that scenario would have been a nuclear explosion!

Good luck to Dustin in the future.  Hopefully he can put his latest major meltdown to rest and learn from his comeuppance.