Tuesday 21 June 2016 12:05, UK
Sir Nick Faldo has praised Dustin Johnson for overcoming the penalty ruling "kerfuffle" to be crowned US Open champion.
The American secured his first major title at Oakmont by three shots ahead of Shane Lowry on Sunday, but had to play his last seven holes without knowing if he would be punished for allegedly making his ball move on the fifth green.
The USGA expressed their regret at "the distraction" caused by the two-hour wait to decide Johnson's fate, while Tiger Woods called it a "farce" and Rory McIlroy described it as "ridiculous".
However, Johnson said he was not "bothered" by the circumstances, but added he was "glad it didn't matter".
Faldo, in London to promote a Royal British Legion campaign called Sport Remembers to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, told Sky Sports News HQ: "It was a major kerfuffle with the rules and the way they handled that and all that added drama.
"But the bottom line is that Johnson pulled through. If there's a rule infringement on tour and it's reported [the officials] will come to the TV studios and review it.
"They will meet the player after the round, but for some reason on Sunday they interjected on the 12th tee. There must be nothing worse for a player than being told 'maybe you'll be penalised'.
"[The USGA] has since apologised but it changed the whole [scenario]. He's had mishaps before in trying to win a major and for him to deal with it like he did, I think he handled it very well."
It was an impressive finish for last year's US Open runner-up, who missed out on a play-off at the 2010 US PGA after a rules violation.
But Faldo was not surprised at Johnson finally getting his hands on a major trophy.
The six-time major champion added: "Johnson's been more than bubbling under for a few weeks and has been playing as good as anyone.
"He's a fitness freak and been lifting big weights in the gym - that's why he hits the ball so far. But he's been cutting courses down to size and that's exactly what he did at Oakmont over the weekend."
