Brandel Chamblee demands answers from USGA over Dustin Johnson rules blunder

Dustin Johnson was onions down the stretch of his first major victory on Sunday as he pounded Oakmont into submission and calmly sealed the 2016 U.S. Open victory with a birdie putt at the end. The shot not only elevated him from “Mr. Almost” to the “It’s My Time” status, but it saved the USGA’s onions, as well.

The latter outcome was just happenstance, and did not insulate the governing body from the deserved criticism that rained down upon it from all corners of the golf world. And though the margin of Johnson’s victory (three shots over Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy, and Shane Lowry) let the USGA off the hook for bungling a situation that never should have occurred, rules officials need to explain why what happened, happened.

So, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee put their feet to the fire over it.

It was not until the 12th tee that two other officials — Jeff Hall, managing director of rules and competitions, and Thomas Pagel, USGA senior director of Rules of Golf and Amateur Status — approached the then-tourney leader to inform him that video evidence showed he may incur a one-shot penalty for the fifth-hole incident, and he would learn his fate after the round.

Chamblee was relentless in hammering the USGA guys about the “crazy rules scenario” that unfolded.

“I’m sorry,” he said after several minutes of debate. “What about what he did do you think caused that ball to move, and why do you come to that conclusion? Was his proximity to the ball any different than Wattel’s? He [Wattel] was behind the ball, closer to the ball.”

Given that, as Pagel acknowledged, theirs was a judgment call that DJ had “more likely than not” caused the ball to move, the two should never even have considered reversing the original official’s decision or approached the player — especially in a major championship with so much on the line.

Certainly, the 12th tee was no place for a full-blown discussion between rules cops and players, but having Johnson play through with a potential penalty hanging over his head, and with no one in the field sure of the score, was remarkable.

While referees take heat in other sports for similarly botched calls — even with video replays — what the USGA did on Sunday was inexcusable.

In the end, all Hall could do was shrug his shoulders.

“We’re always reviewing rules of golf,” he said, “but in this situation I think we’re pretty comfortable with where we got.”

Well, that makes two of you. No matter how USGA officials attempt to defend themselves and their decision under the guise of protecting the integrity of the game, this controversy is not going away any time soon.

For sure, the debate will likely rage on, but not for DJ.

“At the end of the day,” said the 2016 U.S. Open champ, “it didn’t matter.”