#BREAKING NEWS: Dustin Johnson wins 2016 US Open

By Australian Golf Digest

Crisis averted – Dustin Johnson sidestepped one of the biggest dramas in Major championship history to win the US Open by three shots at Oakmont Country Club.

Few have had to overcome as many hurdles to win their maiden Major championship as DJ – think the penalty at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, the 72nd green collapse at last year’s US Open at Chambers Bay, the suspension from the PGA Tour in 2014.

But before he was to claim his first Major title, there had to be one more piece of adversity: this time created by the USGA over a possible infraction by Johnson.

Johnson was preparing to hit a putt on the fifth green when the ball moved. He backed away and summoned a rules official. Johnson informed him that he had done nothing to cause it to move, no penalty was assessed, and the matter appeared settled.

Then on the 12th tee, USGA officials informed Johnson that they would re-assess the situation after the round, creating a situation where he, and his closest competitors, could not be sure where they stood in pursuit of a US Open championship.

Johnson rendered the ruling moot by taking at least a two-stroke lead into the last hole, then closing like the Major champion he has long been projected to be. He shot a two-under par 68 that included an 18th-hole birdie that clinched it without regard to the USGA ruling.

Johnson, 31, came into the final round trailing Lowry by four shots, but erased the deficit and took the lead with a birdie at nine, followed by a Lowry bogey. For most of the back nine, his lead was two, giving him a cushion in the event the USGA decided to rule against him. By the time he reached the 18th hole, his lead was three.

The victory ended a skein of close calls for Johnson, 31, who finished T4 and T2 in the last two US Opens, T6 and T4 in the last two Masters, and T7 in last year’s PGA Championship. He also has a T2 in the British Open.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, closed with a five-over par 75 and finished tied for 37th.