US Open 2016

[paddyc]

DJ just saved the usga from one of the biggest balls up in golf history. Really pleased he finally won a major.Been through the mill a few times with last year,whistling straits,pebble 2010.
Now he 's got the monkey off his back he's going to go on and win more surely, and challenge Jordan,jason and Rory for the number one spot with the distance he hits the ball.
Great scenes at the end with his young kid and Paula in a skimpy white number.

 

[pokerjoke]

What a good final round apart from the DJ fiasco.

As soon as Lowry came back to the pack it could have been one of many that could have won.

Absolute fair play to DJ for holding it together and I'm sure its down to his calmness and laid back attitude that got him over the line.

Gutted for me and Lowry as it cost me a good payout and for Westwood who made so many errors it was untrue.

Great to see Sergio in the mix too.

I said a few weeks back DJ was going to win a major and he will win a few more now he has an amazing game shame I didn't back my instincts.

 

[Slab]

Well I drew DJ as one of my players in the sweep so I'm a happy bunny this morning :whoo:

 

[Simbo]

How he plays the shot is irrelevant to the relief he's entitled to. IMO The TV tower was never the issue as has been seen when he played the shot over the top of it, the heavy rough was the issue. this was a classic example of knowing how to use the rules to your advantage. He wanted a drop out of the nasty thick rough and used the free drop rule for the TV tower to get a drop into the not so nasty first cut.

 

[Jimaroid]

Great to see DJ win at last, I've been backing him for a long time so it's a shame I only got him at 15/1 for this. I went to bed when he was on the 6th hole last night but I had a feeling something dramatic would happen as it usually does when I give up watching. Hope that's the monkey off his back now.

 

[Tongo]

Great stuff from DJ. Saved the USGA some major embarrassment.

As for the USGA; are they that desperate to keep things as close to par that everyone had to be kept in the dark? Pathetic, anachronistic and a sad indictment for golf.

 

[Region3]

How he plays the shot is irrelevant to the relief he's entitled to. IMO The TV tower was never the issue as has been seen when he played the shot over the top of it, the heavy rough was the issue. this was a classic example of knowing how to use the rules to your advantage. He wanted a drop out of the nasty thick rough and used the free drop rule for the TV tower to get a drop into the not so nasty first cut.

Absolutely 100%.

Whenever this topic comes up the reply "they hurt you sometimes so take advantage when you can" always comes up. I'm sure some people see it as tantamount to cheating, but never before has that been so apt as last night.

Penalised a stroke for being deemed to have caused a ball to move 1 dimple on the severest sloped and fastest greens they'll play on all year, so I'm happy he got lucky with a TV tower being in the way when he misses a mile left.

 

[garyinderry]

Most impressive they way the players got the ball out of deep rough. a few bunker shots from up close to lip was also mighty impressive.

Sergios fairway bunker shot last night off the downslope was as pure a strike as you will ever see. Unreal.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Well I throughly enjoyed the whole comps

Some very impressive play - course looked superb and a brilliant test for the players. There were birdie opportunities to be taken and times when a bogey was a good score , it was certainly a fair test of golf and the talk of "windmills etc" is extremely unfair and IMO a symptom of people being saturated by watching US Target golf.

I have never been a massive fan of DJ - don't like the spitting etc but he played wonderfully well - pure ball striking and his putting was supreme. Think all his previous experience in majors played a key role in him winning - fully deserved

Lowry will use the same expirence - think he needed someone like Westwood or a fellow European to chat to in the last round to help him - it looked like he just couldn't bounce of Landry who was having a mare. Lowry will win a major very soon - maybe even the next one

Westwood - over the whole four days his short was superb but for once his driving and long irons let him down but it's great to see him hitting form and will be at the Ryder Cup

"The Ruling"

I think it did affect DJ for a little bit but maybe I think it affected Lowry more - he got himself back into it but then a few stupid putts and he was gone again.

As for the ruling itself - I'm not sure actually what was that bad about the whole thing - they made a ruling on the ground - no problems but then a referee looked at it again and informed the player they would be looking at it again to see if DJ did cause the ball to move - it's known that the findings will take place after the round because of what happened with Woods in the Masters a few years back. The official deemed he caused it to move and then applied the correct penalty - can't see an issue with it personally.

Overall it was one of the better majors for a while now and has wetted the appetite for The Open - just need to find a way for Sky to lose Monty , Roe and Co from the panel !!

 

[Simbo]

Did they say how he caused the ball to move??
He didn't address it, didn't touch it and didn't ground his putter. Very unfair penalty IMO but to make him wait until the round was over is an absolute farce-complete joke.

 

[Pin-seeker]

And to top it off DJ gets to go home to Paulina Gretzky.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Wow, she has not been near the ugly stick.

I have only just seen the penalty incident. No penalty for me even with my limited knowledge. Was someone trying to make a name for themselves last night?

 

[Hacker Khan]

 

[FairwayDodger]

Did they say how he caused the ball to move??
He didn't address it, didn't touch it and didn't ground his putter. Very unfair penalty IMO but to make him wait until the round was over is an absolute farce-complete joke.

He grounded his putter next to the ball for his practice swing. That must have been what caused the ball to move. Of course it wouldn't have if the greens hadn't been prepared at a stupidly fast speed.

 

[Simbo]

Is that their official reason?
But the ball never moved when he ground his putter while taking his practice strokes??
It moved when he moved his putter behind the ball without grounding it.
You haven't officially addressed the ball until your club has been grounded either in front of or behind the ball. Not to the side of it.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Is that their official reason?
But the ball never moved when he ground his putter while taking his practice strokes??
It moved when he moved his putter behind the ball without grounding it.
You haven't officially addressed the ball until your club has been grounded either in front of or behind the ball. Not to the side of it.

Whether you have addressed the ball or not is irrelevant, it's just if you cause it to move.

 

[Fish]

Whether you have addressed the ball or not is irrelevant NOW, it's just if you cause it to move.

Added a word as it seems too many have missed this very important rule change that was implemented in January.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Complete & utter balls up by the USGA; the only person who comes out of it with any credit in my opinion was the match referee. DJ knows he hasn't grounded the club & addressed the ball, his FC/marker agrees, the referee ascertains these facts through the minimum number of questions and says get on with it. Then the USGA turn it into Fred Karno's circus.

If DJ didn't cause the ball to move, no penalty. If he did, then as I understand it, 1 shot penalty & replace the ball. DJ didn't replace the ball, so has he not played from the wrong place? The USGA would appear to have deemed that he has moved the ball by dint of the penalty and consequently he must then have played from the wrong place, but the USGA haven't done anything about that aspect; DJ couldn't because he believed he'd done the right thing. However if he incurred the one shot penalty & didn't replace the ball then surely there's a DQ lurking in there? It would be utterly wrong to DQ him, and there is no way I am suggesting that DJ did anything incorrectly, intentionally or otherwise, but once the first penalty has been applied then "strict rules of golf Goldfinger", surely?

Good to see the youngsters calling it as they (and 99.99999% of the sane world) saw it via social media.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

That is a very dangerous precedent they have set. They are categorically saying that he caused the ball to move and that will have consequences for every one of us at some time in our golfing future. The incident will continue to be replayed for some time to come so very few golfers who play competitively will be unaware of the ruling. Not many, if any of us, would have said that he caused the ball to move before yesterday, including the top pros, but with that ruling by the USGA if you or your putter are any where near the ball when it moves, before the stroke is made, it appears a penalty should be called. (strong wind conditions excepted)

 

[MashieNiblick]

If DJ didn't cause the ball to move, no penalty. If he did, then as I understand it, 1 shot penalty & replace the ball. DJ didn't replace the ball, so has he not played from the wrong place? The USGA would appear to have deemed that he has moved the ball by dint of the penalty and consequently he must then have played from the wrong place, but the USGA haven't done anything about that aspect; DJ couldn't because he believed he'd done the right thing. However if he incurred the one shot penalty & didn't replace the ball then surely there's a DQ lurking in there? It would be utterly wrong to DQ him, and there is no way I am suggesting that DJ did anything incorrectly, intentionally or otherwise, but once the first penalty has been applied then "strict rules of golf Goldfinger", surely?

DJ got a ruling from the referee and proceeded in accordance with that. That ruling was later reviewed on the basis of the video evidence and a penalty was imposed for moving the ball. However, DJ can't be further penalised for not replacing it as this was the result of the initial ruling by the referee and he simply proceeded as instructed.

Covered by Decision 34-3/7 - Referee Determines Player Did Not Cause Ball to Move; Committee Subsequently Changes Ruling.

Q.A player's ball in play moves and he is unsure whether he caused it to move in breach of Rule 18-2. The player asks for a ruling from a referee. Based on the evidence, the referee determines that the player did not cause the ball to move and instructs the player to play the ball as it lies without penalty. After the player plays, the Committee assesses the same evidence or additional evidence that was not available at the time and determines that the player had caused the ball to move. What is the ruling?

A.Rule 34-3 does not prevent a Committee from changing a ruling (see Decision 34-3/1). As the player caused the ball to move, he was required to replace the ball with a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2. When he failed to do so, he played from a wrong place. However, as he did so at the instruction of a referee, he does not incur the general penalty under Rule 18 for playing from a wrong place. Nevertheless, he does incur the penalty stroke under Rule 18-2 as he caused the ball to move before the ruling from the referee. The player must continue with the ball played from the wrong place. (Revised)​