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Dustin Johnson had existed around the periphery of golfing royalty for a while now without ever really gaining access to the inner circle.
He competed strongly in major championships, featured in Ryder Cups, made a truckload of money and, not that this is particularly relevant, goes out with the daughter of the greatest ice hockey player of all time.
But I digress.
Johnson, with victory at the US Open, has rid himself of the back-climbing monkey that accompanies all top-class, non-major winning golfers around. He banished the nightmarish memories of his 72nd hole capitulation at the same event 12 months ago and said to the Spieths, Days and McIlroys of this world: ‘I hope there’s space for another one’.
Looking purely at the Oakmont leaderboard, Johnson should, and no doubt will, feel mighty proud of his efforts.
One of only a quartet of players to complete their four rounds at the notoriously difficult Pennsylvania course under the par total of 280, a three-shot advantage at the conclusion should be considered a pretty comprehensive triumph given the fact shots thrown away were nigh on impossible to claw back with any great frequency.
And while there are many variable factors that make a direct comparison tricky to argue – weather, flag placements for example – it is worth bearing in mind that Angel Cabrera, the winner at Oakmont in 2007, claimed victory with a five over par total.
So all in all, Johnson did a grand job and can look at the nice, big shiny trophy on his mantelpiece with a great deal of satisfaction. The naysayers who doubted his mental fortitude have been silenced, his golfing CV has been enhanced significantly and he will have a spring in his step when the major caravan rolls into Royal Troon next month for the British Open.
Unfortunately, as is the case when controversy seeps into any sporting event, the headlines after the occasion centred on the shambolic efforts of the USGA officials rather than Johnson’s superb final round.
In a completely needless bout of bureaucratic interference, the kind which occurs when officialdom retains too high an opinion of itself and seeks the limelight as opposed to allowing the competition to dominate, Johnson was informed on the 12th hole that there was a chance he could be penalised for an incident on the fifth green.
That delay of around 90 minutes was bad enough but the fact the rules official at the time of the incident – where Johnson’s ball moved a few millimetres on the putting surface as he was about to hole out – deemed no offence had been committed made the whole episode look very amateurish.
It left Johnson to play a crucial few holes with the threat of a penalty hanging over him and the chasing pack not actually knowing the correct state of the leaderboard.
It is all very well having rules to maintain a sport’s integrity and the fact golf could do with getting rid of a few which are overly finicky is a matter for another day, but whatever rules exist should be enforced in a far more efficient manner.
With the benefit of television replays, a decision could have been reached in a much shorter time and Johnson informed accordingly. Other sports manage to achieve this without a great deal of fuss.
And a penny for the thoughts of the official who made the original decision on the fifth green. He did his job as he should have done and ended up being blatantly undermined for no good reason. As soon as Johnson had played his next shot the matter should’ve been closed.
Having looked at the footage a number of times, and being aware of the rule alleged to have been infringed, it is hard to say that Johnson, without any doubt, caused his ball to move and unless clear evidence can be provided then, surely, a penalty can’t be awarded.
Anyway, all that has gone and the only good thing to come out, if it can be considered as such, is the USGA were spared further ignominy with their heavy-handedness ultimately making no difference to the eventual outcome of their flagship tournament.
I bet Johnson couldn’t care less and good on him for not making a fuss in the immediate aftermath but it’s a shame a fine performance should have been overshadowed by such nonsense.