Dustin Johnson is one of the greatest players of the 2010s era, with two major championships and 24 PGA Tour wins.
Johnson even spent more than two years as the world number one in what has been an excellent career to date.
And the 41-year-old could have achieved one more major championship victory if not for a controversial decision by the rules officials.
Golf Retro looks back on Johnson’s misfortune at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Dustin Johnson missed out on 2010 PGA Championship playoff after controversial penalty
Johnson birdied the 16th and 17th holes in the final round of the 2010 PGA Championship to take a one-shot lead into the 72nd hole of the tournament.
He then made a birdie on the 18th hole at Whistling Straits, and so he was due to face Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson in a three-hole playoff.
Unfortunately, the officials later reviewed Johnson’s shot out of the bunker and decided he had “grounded his club” in the sand.
This would normally be an inarguable offense, but it caused some controversy on this occasion because Johnson was unaware that he was in a bunker.
Rather than a traditional, outlined bunker next to the fairway, this area resembled a sandy patch on a hill where spectators had been walking up and down.
Johnson’s mistake was totally understandable, especially under such immense pressure on the final hole of a major championship, but that did not stop him from being punished.
He received a two-stroke penalty for the incident, which demoted him from joint-first place to a tie for fifth, alongside Jason Dufner and Steve Elkington.
Kaymer proceeded to beat Watson in the playoff and lift the PGA Championship trophy.
How Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer reacted to the two-stroke penalty
Dustin Johnson was clearly upset in his interview after the 2010 PGA Championship, but in his defense, he took it better than some players might have.
“Just kind of an array of emotions to go through,” he said. “A little bit of disappointment, a little frustration, and maybe some anger. It was kind of a silly mistake to make.
Eventual champion Martin Kaymer also gave a classy response to the situation, as he admitted that his victory was not quite so satisfying after Johnson’s penalty.
“It was a shame,” Kaymer explained. “It was really a shame that you play all week long and you play great golf, and then something like this happens to you on 18.
“It did still feel good to win the golf tournament for me, but there’s still something, what would have happened if he were in the playoff too? Would I still have been the winner or not?”