Tiger Woods congratulates Johnson on winning U.S. Open

It was fitting that Johnson, who famously folded at last year's U.S. Open with a three-putt on the final hole, won his first Major under extreme mental duress, finally silencing that faction of critics who claimed he could not seal the deal.

Published : Jun 20, 2016 13:34 IST , Oakmont

Dustin Johnson with the US Open trophy.
Dustin Johnson with the US Open trophy.
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Dustin Johnson with the US Open trophy.

Count Tiger Woods among the players confounded by the USGA's controversial penalization of U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson during the final round on Sunday.

The tournament's rules regulators waited seven holes before notifying Johnson of a potential penalty he incurred while lining up a putt on the fifth green. A decision would be reviewed at the conclusion of the round, the USGA said.

It left Johnson to play through some uncertainty as he held off Jim Furyk, Scott Piercy and Shane Lowry for the three-stroke victory with a one-under 69 at Oakmont Country Club. And after Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth posted their support as the drama-filled round unfolded, scolding the USGA for its handling of the situation, Woods added his opinion.

"Some great golf by @DJohnsonPGA all week, strong way to finish overcoming that rules farce. Happy Father's Day to DJ and all of you," the 14-time major champion wrote via Twitter.

Johnson was eventually assessed the one-stroke penalty, finishing at four-under for the tournament.

It was fitting that Johnson, who famously folded at last year's U.S. Open with a three-putt on the final hole, won his first major championship under extreme mental duress, finally silencing that faction of critics who claimed he could not seal the deal.

This time he closed out the victory in a big way with a birdie on the par-four 18th hole and was received by chants of "DJ" and his wife, Paulina, holding their one-year-old son. So it was a Father's Day to remember for Johnson, indeed.

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