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The Latest: Johnson wins US Open for his first major title

Dustin Johnson watches his putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the U.S. Open golf championship at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday, June 19, 2016, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

OAKMONT, Pa. - The latest from the U.S. Open golf championship (all times local:):

8:05 p.m.

Dustin Johnson has won the U.S. Open.

Johnson took his first major championship in style, lacing a 6-iron to 5 feet on the 18th hole and making the putt for a final birdie. He made moot any possible penalty by the USGA for his ball moving on the fifth green.

Johnson had a history of 18th hole disappoints in major tournaments, beginning with the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010 when he was penalized a shot on the last hole for grounding his club in a hazard.

He also three-putted last year on the final green to allow Jordan Spieth to win the Open at Chambers Bay

But there was no doubt this time as he erased a four-shot lead to beat third-round leader Shane Lowry and others at Oakmont Country Club.

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7:50 p.m.

Dustin Johnson has one hole between him and his first major championship.

Johnson has a three-shot lead heading to the 18th tee, after his major challengers fell away on the back nine. He could still be penalized a shot by the USGA, though, for his ball moving on the green on the fifth hole.

Johnson has a history of 18th hole disappoints in major tournaments, beginning with the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010 when he was penalized a shot on the last hole for grounding his club in a hazard.

He also three-putted last year on the final green to allow Jordan Spieth to win the Open at Chambers Bay.

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7:30 p.m.

Dustin Johnson is holding on to a two-shot lead with three to play in the U.S. Open.

That, of course, is pending USGA approval.

Johnson still hasn't learned whether he will be penalized for his ball moving on the fifth green as he addressed it with his putter. USGA officials say it appears he caused it to move but say they will not rule on it until after talking to Johnson after the round.

Shane Lowry, who led by four strokes going into the final round, is a shot back of Johnson. Scott Piercy is another shot back with two holes to play.

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7:05 p.m.

Some of Dustin Johnson's fellow players are weighing in on a possible penalty against him for a ball that moved on the fifth green.

Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler all sent out tweets calling the possible penalty ridiculous and laughable.

McIlroy was harshest, saying it was amateur hour on behalf of the U.S. Golf Association, which runs the U.S. Open. Spieth said penalizing Johnson would be a joke.

Johnson is still out on the course and no official decision has been made. But a USGA official appeared on the Fox telecast to say it looked like Johnson made the ball move, which would be a stroke penalty.

Midway through the back nine, Johnson and Shane Lowry are tied for the lead at 4-under par.

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6:32 p.m.

U.S. Open leader Dustin Johnson is heading down the back nine at Oakmont unsure of what to jot down as his score on the fifth hole.

The USGA has told Johnson it will review what happened on the fifth green after Johnson completes the final round of the tournament later Sunday evening.

Johnson was standing over a 6-foot putt for par on the 390-yard par 4 when the ball appeared to move ever so slightly. Johnson was taking a few practice strokes behind the ball when it moved just a touch. It moved again just as Johnson moved the putter behind the ball to hit. Johnson stepped away from the ball and asked for a ruling. He then made the putt and moved on to the next hole.

There was no immediate penalty given to Johnson, though USGA officials told him they wanted him to take a look at the tape after the round.

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6:21 p.m.

Dustin Johnson's lead in the U.S. Open is up to two shots with the holes dwindling at Oakmont.

Johnson is a 5-under par through 11 holes of the final round. That's two better than third-round leader Shane Lowry and resilient Scott Piercy, who were both at 3 under.

Lowry began the day four strokes up on the field but is 4 over for his round through 11 holes and has yet to record a birdie at the sweltering course just north of Pittsburgh.

Piercy started the final round seven strokes behind Lowry but has three birdies without a bogey through 12 holes.

Andrew Landry, paired with Lowry in the final group, is tumbling down the leaderboard. He's at 8 over through 10 holes.

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5:51 p.m.

Dustin Johnson's first major title is nine holes away. Again.

Johnson moved in front as the final round of the U.S. Open reached the back nine Sunday. Johnson had two birdies to get within striking distance of leader Shane Lowry, then jumped to the lead when he birdied the par-4 ninth and, Lowry, playing in the final group behind Johnson, bogeyed after missing the fairway.

Johnson is at 5 under with play winding down.

Johnson has 11 top-10 finishes in majors. He finished second at Chambers Bay last June when he three-putted the 18th to let Jordan Spieth win by a stroke.

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5:35 p.m.

No awkward awards ceremony for Jordan Spieth this time.

The defending U.S. Open champion shot a 5-over 75 in the final round of the tournament at Oakmont on Sunday to finish at 9 over. That's his worst finish in a major in which he's made the cut since tying for 44th at the 2013 British Open.

Spieth, who finished second at the Masters in April after blowing a five-shot lead late in the final round, had two birdies against five bogeys and one double bogey.

Danny Willett, who surged past Spieth to win at Augusta, also finished at 9 over following a 1-over 71 on Sunday.

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5:10 p.m.

Sergio Garcia collected not one birdie but two at the par-3 eighth in the final round of the U.S. Open.

Garcia holed out from a greenside bunker to move to 2 under for the tournament and three shots behind leader Shane Lowry. The Spaniard, still in search of his first major championship, noticed a small bird on the ground as he was making his way off the green. He picked it up and handed it a volunteer.

Garcia is 0 for 70s in majors, with six finishes in the top 3.

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4:54 p.m.

Shane Lowry's lead is down to a single stroke at the U.S. Open.

The Irishman, who was up by three at the beginning of the final round, is 2 over through five holes and is just one shot up on Dustin Johnson. Lowry bogeyed the par-4 second after his approach flew into a bunker and dropped another shot on the par-4 fifth following an approach shot that also found the sand.

Andrew Landry, who began the day three shots behind Lowry, bogeyed four of his first five holes to fall off the pace.

Jim Furyk, the 2003 champion, is putting together the round of the day in front of the leader. Furyk is at 4 under through 14 holes and 1 under for the tournament, four shots off the lead.

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4:10 p.m.

Shane Lowry's once-comfortable lead at the U.S. Open is down to two shots.

The Irishman, in search of his first major championship, began the final round leading by four shots over Dustin Johnson and Andrew Landry before a bogey at the par-4 second coupled with a birdie by Johnson at same hole whittled Lowry's advantage to just two strokes.

Landry, the surprise of the tournament, is off to a sluggish start. He bogeyed the first two holes to slip to five shots off the lead.

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3:30 p.m.

Leader Shane Lowry went off in the final group with Andrew Landry, a U.S. Open rookie ranked No. 624 in the world. Both were in pursuit of a first major.

Lowry is 7 under, with a 4-shot lead over Landry and Dustin Johnson. Another shot back were Scott Piercy and Lee Westwood.

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2:55 p.m.

Brooks Koepka shot a sizzling 32 on his opening nine at Oakmont, then holed out with a wedge for eagle from the fairway at No. 10 — the most spectacular shot in an 8-under tear spanning eight holes. The move sent him to even-par, but still seven strokes behind leader Shane Lowry.

Jordan Spieth, meanwhile, appears headed in the other direction as he needs four putts to get off the sixth green with a triple-bogey 6. The defending champion is 4 over for the day and 8 over for the tournament.

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2 p.m.

The top 10 players are exempt into the U.S. Open next year at Erin Hills. That would be a big deal to Andrew Landry if he doesn't produce the dream finish at Oakmont. Landry had to make it through two stages of qualifying just to get into his first major.

Even better for Landry if he doesn't win? The top four players get into the Masters.

But all he cares about is winning, and the 28-year-old Texan has looked remarkably unflappable in every circumstance at Oakmont.

His father left him a message that said, "I have all the faith in the world you can do this. You're just as good as the rest of those guys."

He has been so far.

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1:30 p.m.

Of the 14 players who have at least made the turn in the final round, no one is under par.

The greens at Oakmont were rolled twice and are running at 14.8 on the Stimpmeter. The entertainment is likely to come early in the round on the second hole, where the tees have been moved up so that a drive will reach the green. That doesn't mean it will stay there.

Jason Kokrak, one of the longest hitters in golf, hit a drive that bounced onto the green to about 10 feet below the hole, and then it rolled back some 30 yards into the fairway. He chipped the next one up to about the same range, and that rolled back. So his third time hitting the green, it actually stayed on the green. He made a bogey.

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8:25 a.m.

The world's 624th ranked golfer is in the final group for the final round of the U.S. Open.

Andrew Landry drilled a 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th green early Sunday morning to finish off an even-par 70 that left the Texan 3 under for the tournament and four shots behind leader Shane Lowry.

The 28-year-old Landry, a PGA Tour rookie, put up a 4-under 66 to take the first-round lead and has hung in there at daunting Oakmont. He drove the green at the par-4 17th and two-putted for birdie. His 45-footer on 18 took a right turn at the last second before diving into the hole as the grandstand roared.

Landry made his way into the tournament as a qualifier and had made just 5 of 11 cuts coming in.

Dustin Johnson is also four shots behind Lowry after shooting a 1-over 71. Johnson has 11 top 10s in majors but is still searching for his first victory. Johnson was in the final group at Chambers Bay last year, three-putting the final hole to give the tournament to Jordan Spieth.

Lee Westwood, who has nine top 3 finishes in majors but no wins, is five back as is Daniel Summerhays. Branden Grace is at 1-under with Sergio Garcia and Scott Piercy at even par.

After three days of chaos thanks to rain that wiped out play on Thursday, the final round will start on schedule later Sunday.

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8:10 a.m.

Shane Lowry is pulling away at the U.S. Open.

The 29-year-old Irishman made a pair of birdies early Sunday morning to polish off a round of 5-under 65 at Oakmont to move him within 18 holes of his first major title. Lowry is a 7 under through three rounds at Oakmont, four shots clear of Dustin Johnson and five up on Lee Westwood, Daniel Summerhays and Andrew Landry.

Lowry was up by three when play resumed Sunday morning and wasted little time adding to his advantage. He holed an 11-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 15th and drained a 7-footer for birdie on the par-4 17th. A 10-foot par putt on the 18th helped him tie Summerhays and Louis Oosthuizen for the low round of the tournament.

Lowry will be in the last group during the final round of a major for the first time on Sunday afternoon. The leaders are expected to tee off at 3:30 p.m.

News from © The Associated Press, 2016
The Associated Press

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