Dustin Johnson's Bunker That Didn't Look Like One

Whistling Straits in Wisconsin has so many sandy hollows that even the people who care for it couldn't count them all. On the last hole of the 2010 PGA Championship, one of them cost Dustin Johnson a place in the playoff.

The moment

Johnson came to the par-4 18th leading by one. His drive drifted right, into a patch of trampled sand outside the ropes, with fans standing all around. It didn't look much like a bunker. He set his club down behind the ball, as you would in the rough, and hit his second shot.

But the PGA of America had made it the very first item on that week's local rules sheet, and posted a notice on the locker room mirrors: every area built as a sand bunker would be played as a bunker, footprints and tire tracks included. Grounding your club in a bunker is a two-stroke penalty.

After he holed out, the walking official asked Johnson whether he remembered grounding his club. He didn't. In the scoring area he watched the TV replay and accepted it. The penalty turned his score on the hole from a five into a seven, finished him at 9 under, and left him out of the three-hole playoff Martin Kaymer won over Bubba Watson.

The rules chairman, Mark Wilson, said afterward that Johnson "was a perfect gentleman" about it.

Your first-nine lesson: a 30-second look saves a long walk

You're not going to face a major championship rules committee. But every course has its own quirks: which stakes mean what, where carts can go, whether there's a drop zone by the pond. They're usually printed on the scorecard or posted near the first tee.

• Read the back of the scorecard. It takes 30 seconds, and it's where the local rules live.
• Ask the pro shop one question. "Anything I should know about the course today?" Staff are happy to help.
• When in doubt, treat sand as sand. Hover your club just above it instead of setting it down.
• Then let it go. If you get something wrong, add the stroke, smile, and play the next shot.

Our golf rules for beginners guide keeps it simple, and the first-tee checklist reminds you to grab that scorecard.

Related guides and stories

• Golf rules for beginners: the ones that matter on your first nine
• Beginner golf first-tee checklist (calm version)
• More “even the greats” stories
• Start here

Sources

• ASAP Sports, Mark Wilson (co-chairman, PGA of America rules committee) press conference transcript, Aug 15, 2010
• ESPN (Gene Wojciechowski), "Dustin Johnson's error will haunt him," Aug 2010
• ESPN UK, "Penalty on 18 dooms Dustin Johnson," Aug 2010
• PGA of America official statement via GolfBlogger
• The New York Times, "A Penalty and a Playoff Cap a Wild P.G.A.," Aug 16, 2010
• Golf Digest, "PGA Rules Official Tells His Side Of The Story"

Facts are taken from the official and news sources above. Players are named with respect; no player photos or video are used on this page.