New U.S. Open Dustin Johnson insists an incident that totally ruined the final round of his march to a first Major Championship would not have happened on the PGA Tour.

Johnson finally made amends, and despite the worst efforts of the USGA, for what happened in the 2010 US Open, the 2010 PGA Championship and just missing out a year ago at Chambers Bay posting  final round 68 for a four stroke success at five under par and much to the enormous delight of golf fans around the globe.

However, and much to the surprise of everyone, Johnson was then hit with a one-stroke penalty after the USGA deemed the big-hitting American had forced his ball to move at address on the fifth green at Oakmont.

Unfortunately, the incident that was deemed by a rules official at the time not to be a penalty, then coloured the remainer of the final round after a second USGA rules official was seen speaking with Johnson on the 12th tee.

Some of the games best led by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and also Rickie Fowler along with European Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley plus Johnson’s coach, Butch Harmon then proceeded to severely criticise the USGA for the handling of the matter leaving not on Johnson dangling for his remaining eight holes but also Ireland’s Shane Lowry who had led by four shots going into the last day.

Dustin Johnson captures a first Major in winning 2016 US Open. (Photo – www.europeantour.com)

Lowry proceeded to three-putt three greens in succession over the closing few holes to shoot a 76 and end in a three-way tie for second place on one under par.

Here is some of the questions put to Johnson after his victory.

Q. Dustin, just curious, when you found out about the potential of the ruling on 12, how did you put it out of your mind? Or how did you allow yourself to think about it in the context of your strategy over the last seven holes?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: They said they were going to review it after I was done. So at that point, I just — there’s nothing I can do about it, so let’s just focus on this shot and go from there. So all I tried to do was just focus on that tee shot on 12, trying to get it in the fairway there. So that’s what I did. And, you know, that’s what I just tried to do from there all the way to the house.

I know this golf course, it’s very difficult, and it’s very difficult to close. So, you know, from 12 to 18, all I was trying to do was just one shot at a time and not worry about what anybody else was doing, just focus on what I was doing. And I just kept telling myself, it’s just me and the golf course. You know, I’m just playing the golf course today.

Q. Dustin, can you tell us what the rules official said to you on the 5th at the time of the incident? And secondly, what do you think of the scenario where almost seven holes later someone comes to speak to you about it again?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, on the 5th green, the rules official, I called him over and told him what happened. Lee was standing right there. He saw it. So we both agreed that I didn’t cause the ball to move. So I just played on from there with no penalty.

Still, watching the video, I still don’t think I caused the ball to move, but the USGA, they said I did. So with the rule that — I don’t even understand the rule, but I got a penalty. It didn’t matter at the end of the day. That’s it.

https://t.co/Gya6sNgK1V If he hit the ball w/his putter it would roll forward not back to him …wind… No penalty

— Steven Lisacki (@Lizak187) June 19, 2016

Q. Dustin, knowing that all your fellow pros were behind you in this Twitter issue and knowing that you didn’t think you did anything wrong, do you think you would have been penalized if this was a Tour event?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Probably not.

Q. I just mean with the scenario where they spoke to you about it again so many holes after it happened. What did you think of that?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don’t even know what I was thinking. I wasn’t even worried about it at that point. Like I said, I was just trying to focus on the shot that I was about to hit. I’m not worried about that. I just told myself, we’ll worry about it when I get done.

Q. Dustin, as everything was unfolding during your final round there, social media was alive with outrage actually from your fellow Tour pros — Tiger, Keegan, Rory in particular rising up to your defense. How much are you aware of that now that the round is over, and how does it make you feel knowing they were there having your back?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Obviously, it’s great, and it just shows the support the guys have for each other because we’ve all been in that situation where — I mean, there’s no way that I feel like that I caused that ball to move, and they understand that because it’s happened to all of us at one time or another. So to have them supporting me and stuff, it’s definitely nice, and thank you to everyone who was supporting me.

But at the end of the day, it’s ultimately up to the USGA to make the final decision, and just fortunately, it didn’t affect the outcome.

Q. Dustin, if you think in your mind that you did nothing wrong, as you’re playing those final seven holes and you look at the leaderboard, what are you thinking? Are you thinking you’re tied for the lead, one shot down? How did you approach that? And secondly, with everything that’s gone wrong — Whistling Straits last year — when they approached you on 12, is there any part of you that’s thinking, here we go again?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Maybe a little bit for sure. Just one more thing to add to the list, right? Honestly, I knew I was in a good position, just from the way the crowd was, but I tried my best not to look at the leaderboard because no matter where I stood, I was playing the golf course, and I was playing each shot how I was going to play it no matter if I was one back or one ahead.

You know, this golf course, that’s what it demands of you. So that’s what I was trying to do is just play my game and not worry about what anyone else is doing.

So even on the 18th green, after I hit it in there close, I had to ask my brother, I’m like, Where do we stand? I’m pretty sure I’m ahead, but I had no idea.

Q. Dustin, considering all the weirdness, as Doug mentioned before, that you’ve endured in the past, does it seem fitting that maybe there was one more obstacle thrown in your way? And does it make it a little bit sweeter that you were able to overcome that and handle it the way you did the last seven holes?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, it definitely makes it sweet. Like I said, it’s nothing new at this point. It’s happened so many times. I kind of expect it now. So for it to not affect the outcome is fantastic. It just shows how well I played.

Q. Dustin, the other ruling at 10, could you just walk us through that ruling. And did you get a break? How far could you have hit that ball out of the rough?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, the lie wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t good. I mean, it was definitely a break to get it out of the deep rough and to be able to — you know, the scoreboard and camera tower was in my way. So under the rules, I get relief. For me to get to drop it in the first cut was definitely very nice.

Q. How far could you have hit that out of the rough?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don’t know. I didn’t have to hit it (laughter).

Q. Dustin, you mentioned that from the 12th onward, you reduced it to just sort of you and the golf course. Was this just a different day from past majors, or are you a different person now to be able to handle it in that way?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, yeah, obviously, I’m different. I’ve grown up a lot. Having a son and starting a family has definitely made me grow up a lot. But I felt like I’ve handled myself very well in the past in the majors, just hasn’t — you know, just didn’t quite get over that hump. Today, you know, I finally did.

Q. Dustin, knowing that all your fellow pros were behind you in this Twitter issue and knowing that you didn’t think you did anything wrong, do you think you would have been penalized if this was a Tour event?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Probably not.

Q. Dustin, given where you were on the 17th tee, what went into your decision-making process about what club to hit at 17? What was your strategy there today?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I didn’t know where I stood honestly. I didn’t. You know, I just approached the hole, what’s the best way for me to get a birdie look? And I thought hitting driver and trying to get it in the right bunker is the best chance to get it on the green. Because if I do lay up and I happen to miss the fairway, I’ve got no chance to hit it on the green from the rough.

So that was my play, and I hit it up there in the bunker. Didn’t have that great of a lie, but that might have been one of the better shots of the day for me because I had to hit that on the green, and it so easily could have hit and gone across into the bunker, past the pin, which I did not want to do. So that was a key shot coming down the stretch there on 17 is getting that ball on the green.

Q. Dustin, I know you have no say in this, but in retrospect, if you had your druthers, would you have rather known — when the official came up at 12 tee, would you have rather known, yes or no, whether you’re getting a penalty rather than to have to play another two hours without knowing? Obviously, that was more of a challenge you had to deal with.
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don’t know, it’s hard to say because that’s a situation where he told me, he’s like, when you’re done, we need to look at this. So at that point, in my mind, it could go either way. So from there, I just tried not to even think about it.

Q. In your mind, what would have been better, knowing yes or no you were getting that penalty or not, or to wait two hours and play the last seven holes not knowing?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: I don’t know. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. So I have no idea.

Q. Dustin, you said you didn’t think your ball striking this week was great. It was good, but not great. The last time I think we saw somebody drive the ball as well as you did on Sunday at a U.S. Open was you last year at Chambers Bay. Can you talk about, just from a driving standpoint, how this week measures up as far as you’re concerned?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, I mean, for being a U.S. Open, these fairways aren’t very easy to hit. It’s definitely probably one of my best weeks driving the ball. I think, if I count — I did not have to hit out of the deep rough. I mean, maybe a couple times. So I hit a lot of fairways, and it seemed like, when I missed the fairways, I was just in the first cut.

I think a couple times I hit it in the rough, it was with an iron, not with my driver. To me, this is one of the best weeks I ever drove the ball for sure.