OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — As different as they are, the Masters and U.S. Open had two things in common this year.
First, and most peculiar, is that Lee Westwood played the final round with both champions — Danny Willett at Augusta National, Dustin Johnson at Oakmont. He now is everyone’s favorite pairing for Sunday at Royal Troon unless the tee time is anywhere near the breakfast hour.
Second, both majors are remembered as much for brilliance as blunders.
At the Masters, it was Jordan Spieth hitting two balls in the water on No. 12 and losing a five-shot lead with a 41 on the back nine.
At Oakmont, it was the USGA adding new meaning to the “toughest test in golf.” Johnson, with a history of failure in the majors, had to play the final seven holes on the hardest course in America without knowing if his score was going to be one shot higher when he finished.
Blame that on the USGA officials — not for giving him the one-shot penalty, but for keeping their noses in a rule book without looking up to realize they were damaging the integrity of the championship by waiting.
If they knew he was going to be penalized, they…
