Dustin Johnson's fellow touring pros slammed the United States Golf Association over a controversial ruling situation that threatened to derail the finish of the US Open.
Johnson, who has been at the centre of several close calls in majors championships, defied the pressure of playing under threat of a penalty to hold on for a breakout win at Oakmont Country Club.
Johnson was approached on the 12th tee in the final round by officials informing him they were considering assessing a one-shot penalty for an incident on the fifth hole.
They believed he may have caused his ball to move on the green but said they would rule on it after his round.
At the time Johnson led by two and it clearly rattled his nerves for a few holes as he fell back into a tie for the lead before rebounding to win by three shots, despite having the one-shot penalty imposed.
Fellow touring pros ripped in on social media about the situation Johnson was put in as he was trying to clinch his maiden major title.
Former US Open champion Rory McIlroy started it by tweeting, "This is ridiculous... No penalty whatsoever for DJ. Let the guy play without this crap in his head. Amateur hour from @USGA."
He followed it up with: "This isn't right for anyone on that golf course. If it was me I wouldn't hit another shot until this farce was rectified."
When Johnson claimed the win McIlroy added, "Take that @USGA."
Defending champion Jordan Spieth also weighed in, "Lemme get this straight.. DJ doesn't address it. It's ruled that he didn't cause it to move. Now you tell him he may have? Now? This a joke?"
Rickie Fowler chimed in soon after, saying "@JordanSpieth @McIlroyRory w/ you boys! The fact that the @usga thinks that DJ caused the ball to move is completely ridiculous! Laughable!
Watching from his Texas home Aussie golfer Greg Chalmers chimed in with a simple explanation.
"USGA - "is there some other reason that the ball moved" Yep.. gravity. #itkeepsusonearth
Luke Donald added similar sentiment.
"No way DJ gets a penalty. Use some common sense @USGA The greens are running 14 and are sloppier than Mount Everest.
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