The following is a press release issued by the USGA
on Monday, June 20:
The USGA wishes to congratulate Dustin Johnson on
his victory and thank him, and the other players in
the field, for their professionalism and grace
throughout the championship. Dustin is a wonderful
champion, a talented golfer and a gentleman.
Our team at the USGA has seen and heard a great
deal of discussion and debate about the ruling on
Dustin's ball moving during the final round of the
2016 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country
Club. In addition to the explanations we offered upon
the conclusion of the final round, we add these
comments.
Upon reflection, we regret the distraction caused by
our decision to wait until the end of the round to
decide on the ruling. It is normal for rulings based
on video evidence to await the end of a round, when
the matter can be discussed with the player before
the score card is returned. While our focus on getting
the ruling correct was appropriate, we created
uncertainty about where players stood on the leader
board after we informed Dustin on the 12th tee that
his actions on the fifth green might lead to a penalty.
This created unnecessary ambiguity for Dustin and
the other players, as well as spectators on-site, and
those watching and listening on television and digital
channels.
During any competition, the priority for Rules
officials is to make the correct ruling for the
protection of the player(s) involved and the entire
field. In applying Rule 18-2, which deals with a ball
at rest that moves, officials consider all the relevant
evidence - including the player's actions, the time
between those actions and the movement of the ball,
the lie of the ball, and course and weather
conditions. If that evidence, considered together,
shows that it is more likely than not that the player's
actions caused the ball to move, the player incurs a
one-stroke penalty. Officials use this "more likely
than not" standard because it is not always apparent
what caused the ball to move. Such situations
require a review of the evidence, with Decision 18-
2/0.5 providing guidance on how the evidence should
be weighed.
Our officials reviewed the video of Dustin on the fifth
green and determined that based on the weight of
the evidence, it was more likely than not that Dustin
caused his ball to move. Dustin's putter contacted
the ground at the side of the ball, and almost
immediately after, the ball moved.
We accept that not everyone will agree that Dustin
caused his ball to move. Issues under Rule 18-2
often require a judgment where there is some
uncertainty, and this was one of those instances. We
also understand that some people may disagree with
Rule 18-2 itself. While we respect the viewpoints of
those who disagree, our Committee made a careful
and collective judgment in its pursuit of a fair
competition played under the Rules of Golf.
In keeping with our commitment to excellence in all
aspects of our work on behalf of the game of golf,
we pledge to closely examine our procedures in this
matter. We will assess our procedures for handling
video review, the timing of such, and our
communication with players to make sure that when
confronted with such a situation again, we will have
a better process.
We at the USGA deeply appreciate the support of
players, fans, and the entire golf community of our
championships and our other work for golf - and we
appreciate your feedback as well. We have
established an email address (comments@usga.org)
and phone mailbox (908-326-1857) to receive
comments. We thank you for taking the time to
share your thoughts.
We all share an abiding love of this great game. Let
us continue to work together for its good.
ABOUT THE U.S. Open
The U.S. Open is the biggest of the 14 national
championships conducted by the USGA.
Open
to amateurs and professionals.
The USGA intends to make the U.S. Open
the
most rigorous, yet fair, examination of golf
skills, testing all forms of shot-making. The
USGA prepares the course after careful
consideration of 14 different factors.
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