Dustin Johnson and his caddie erred in judgment while under enormous pressure on the 18th hole of the final round of a major golf championship. One of them should have been aware that the landing spot of Johnson’s tee-shot could have been one of the thousands of bunkers on the course, thus prohibiting him from grounding his club. That being said, that the PGA permitted fans to trample in and stand in such ill-defined bunkers is by far the greater failure.  The bunkers outside of the ropes should have been declared “waste bunkers,” which would not prohibit a player from grounding his club.  Let’s hope that the organizations learns from this fiasco.
Mr. Johnson would appear to have the type of personality that will allow him to move ahead without undue damage. He certainly won’t make the same mistake again. He’s an exciting young player of the sort that the game really needs.