You remember Oakmont in 2016. Or maybe you don't. Honestly, most golf fans remember the rules officials more than the actual golf. It was a mess. A total, absolute disaster of a Sunday that somehow ended with Dustin Johnson holding a trophy while everyone else was arguing about physics.
Golf is weird like that.
People think Dustin Johnson won the US Open because he was the best player that week. He was. But he also won because he has the emotional range of a granite countertop. That’s his superpower. Most guys would have folded like a cheap lawn chair the moment a rules official told them on the 12th tee, "Hey, you might have a penalty coming from seven holes ago, but we won't tell you for sure until you're done."
Basically, the USGA turned a major championship into a "wait and see" reality show. And DJ just shrugged.
The Chaos at Oakmont: Why Dustin Johnson US Open Win Was Different
The Dustin Johnson US Open victory at Oakmont is legendary for the wrong reasons. On the fifth green, his ball moved. Just a tiny, microscopic wiggle. DJ hadn't addressed it yet. He called the referee over. The ref said, "No penalty, play on." Cool. Done.
Except it wasn't.
By the time he reached the 12th tee, the USGA had changed their minds. They told him they’d review it after the round. Imagine playing the hardest course in the world with a "maybe" hanging over your score.
It was ridiculous.
Rory McIlroy called it "amateur hour" on Twitter. Jordan Spieth called it a "joke." But Dustin? He just striped a drive. He eventually won by three shots, which made the one-stroke penalty they eventually tacked on totally irrelevant. That birdie on 18—the one where he stuck a 6-iron to four feet—was basically a middle finger to the rulebook.
It was one of the ballsiest finishes in the history of the sport.
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The Chambers Bay Heartbreak (2015)
You can’t talk about his win without talking about the year before. Chambers Bay was a moonscape. The greens looked like broccoli. Dustin had a 12-foot eagle putt on the last hole to win the whole thing.
He missed.
Then he had a four-footer to force a playoff with Spieth.
He missed that, too.
That’s the thing about the Dustin Johnson US Open narrative. Before Oakmont, he was the guy who "couldn't win the big one." He had the 2010 collapse at Pebble Beach where he shot an 82. He had the bunker incident at Whistling Straits. People were starting to wonder if he was cursed.
Honestly, the three-putt at Chambers Bay would have broken most athletes. It was a public, agonizing choke on a global stage. Yet, a year later, he was the one laughing.
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Where is DJ Now?
Things look a lot different in 2026. Dustin is 41 now. He's the captain of the 4Aces GC over at LIV Golf. He’s got that massive contract—rumored to be over $100 million—and he seems pretty content with the lighter schedule.
But here’s the reality check: his game has been a bit "meh" lately. In 2025, he finished 14th in the LIV individual standings. No wins. He even missed the cut at the 2025 US Open at Oakmont, the very place he won a decade prior. It’s a reminder that Father Time is undefeated, even against guys who look like they’re built out of steel and South Carolina sunshine.
The 2026 Exemption Situation
This is the part most people are tracking right now. 2026 is actually the final year of Dustin's 10-year exemption into the US Open from his 2016 win.
- He's still got the lifetime Masters invite.
- But for the US Open, the clock is ticking.
- Unless he wins another major or gets back into the top 60 of the world rankings (which is hard to do playing LIV events), he might have to start qualifying the old-fashioned way soon.
It’s a weird spot for a guy who spent 135 weeks as World Number One.
Actionable Insights for Golfers
If you want to play like DJ (or at least try), don't focus on his 320-yard drives. You probably can't do that. Focus on his "selective amnesia."
When you hit a ball into the water or get a bad break from a rules official, you have about ten seconds to be mad. Then it’s over. Dustin’s greatness wasn't just his swing; it was his ability to forget the last hole immediately.
Next steps for your own game:
- The 10-Second Rule: Practice reacting to a bad shot, then "clearing the cache" before you reach your bag.
- Aggressive Targets: DJ rarely plays safe. He picks a target and swings hard. If you're going to miss, miss with a full swing, not a tentative poke.
- Short Game Maintenance: Even as his long game stayed elite in 2025, his "around the green" stats plummeted. If you’re over 40, your touch is the first thing to go. Spend 60% of your practice time within 50 yards of the hole.
Dustin Johnson changed how we look at the US Open. He proved that you don't have to be a "grinder" to win the toughest test in golf. Sometimes, you just need to be the guy who doesn't care about the noise.