US Open rules officials will review possible violation by Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson had overtaken Shane Lowry for the lead during Sunday’s final round of the US Open when rules officials approached him on the 12th tee. The reason: to tell him that a penalty that had not been assessed when his ball moved on the green on the fifth tee might actually be assessed once the round was over.

Say, what?!

Shortly after the rules of golf allowed Johnson to take relief from a gnarly lie in the rough to the fairway because an immovable obstruction - the Fox Sports TV tower was between him and the green -- the same rules appeared to come back and bite DJ in the butt.

The chair of the rules committee previously ruled that Johnson had not caused his ball to move when it oscillated ever so slightly on the fifth green.

Fast forward seven holes, and, well, maybe DJ would be docked a stroke after all — but not until after the round.

That’s what the USGA’s managing director Jeff Hall told Fox Sports as Johnson was finishing off a par on the 12th to hold onto a two-shot lead. The reason for interrupting Johnson’s potential run to the title was to give him all the information he needed to finish out the round, according to Hall.

That did not go over at all well with Johnson’s colleagues, as Rory McIlroy and a slew of other PGA Tour pros took to Twitter to voice their outrage.

To make the situation even stranger, officials also alerted all of the other players on the course of the situation. So the entire remaining field is playing not knowing what Johnson’s actual score is. Is he tied for the lead? Is he a stroke behind? No one even knows.

The possible penalty has now become the focus of the tournament and it’s an issue that won’t even be decided until after the round is completed.