Dustin Johnson can breath a sigh when he arrives at Kiawah Island and venue for the up-coming PGA Championship.

Two years ago, Johnson fell foul of a local Whistling Straits rule by grounding his club in a waste bunker to the right side of the 18th fairway on the final day of the 2010 PGA Championship.

The resultant two-shot penalty cost Johnson possible victory and also a spot in the eventual play-off won by Germany’s Martin Kaymer over American Bubba Watson.

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.

However the PGA of America announced on July 25 that during PGA  Championship week on the Pete Dye designed Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C., sandy areas would not be designated as bunkers.

That means that players can move loose impediments, take practice swings and ground their clubs, as long as the area isn’t in a  water hazard.

While the ruling is completely different to that in effect on the Pete Dye designed course for the 2010 PGA, such a condition of play next week is consistent with past tournaments staged on Kiawah Island – 1991 Ryder Cup, 1997 and 2003 World Cup of Golf, 2005 Professional National Championship and 2007  Senior PGA Championship.

The difference between Whistling Straits and the Ocean courese is Whistling Straits features defined bunkers surrounded by  grass, whereas sand is part of the natural terrain throughout the Ocean Course,  but often occurs without clear definition.

Johnson could feel himself hard done by at Whistling Straits as when he came to his ball down the 18th, the bunker in question was well inside the roped off area while spectators had been walking all about the bunker for four days.  Also the bunker was littered with spectator rubbish.

However there were notices all about the locker room saying that each and every bunker on the course was to be treated as a bunker and in the end, Johnson can only have himself to blame.

Johnson, who lives in nearby Columbia, South Carolina, was asked about the ruling during this week’s event in Akron.

“I think it’s good ruling,” said Johnson during this week’s WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.

“You still have to hit a shot.

“But then it is going to be a little strange to be in a  greenside bunker to ground your club, and I’m not going to.”