A brutal penalty is looming over Dustin Johnson's final round at the US Open, and it could decide the tournament
Dustin Johnson is currently leading the US Open at Oakmont, but his entire round - and thus the entire championship - hangs in the balance over a controversial moment on the fifth green.
As he stood over the ball to putt for par on hole 5, Johnson's ball moved ever so slightly. It's extremely hard to tell from the video whether or not Johnson's putter caused the ball to move, or whether it simply moved on its own, but if the USGA rules that Johnson did cause the moment, he will receive a one-stroke penalty.
Here's the moment:
Perhaps most cruelly of all, the USGA told Johnson that they will not rule until after he finishes the round. And so, Johnson is now playing the back-9 at Oakmont on Sunday at the US Open - in contention for his first major championship - with a possible one-stroke penalty looming over him. As if Oakmont wasn't challenging enough on its own.
It also means that someone else in contention, either tied or one stroke behind, could wind up winning or forcing a playoff all thanks to a brutal bit of rules.
Here's Jeff Hall of the USGA explaining on live TV why the USGA made the decision to tell Johnson, but not rule immediately.
Fellow PGA tour players - the ones not in contention here - have taken to Twitter to bash the USGA for its handling of the situation.
Johnson is currently one stroke ahead, but doesn't know if he's leading or not.
Remember, too, that in 2010 at Whistling Straights, Johnson unintentionally grounded his club in a bunker, which cost him the PGA Championship. Last year, he gifted Jordan Spieth the US Open on the 18th green. If he holds on to win this - and if he wins by more than one stroke, he should be fine - it will be all the more impressive.