J.J. Spaun wins wild, wet U.S. Open with dramatic birdie putt finish

New York Times

8 hours ago

OAKMONT, Pa. — When sheets of rain descended upon Oakmont Sunday afternoon and an army of groundskeepers started taking squeegees and hand towels to the fairways, a tumultous finish and bizarre turn became inevitable at this U.S. Open. The backward leaderboard movement did not stop all day at the venerable Pittsburgh major venue, and it ended with J.J. Spaun at the top — the man who survived a soaked and borderline unplayable golf course.
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It was the 34-year-old Los Angeles native who hit the 64-foot birdie putt of his life at the very last moment. The PGA Tour journeyman who collapsed under the pressure just a few months earlier at the Players Championship in the face of a blazing Rory McIlroy. The golfer who was making just his second start in the U.S. Open, and came into Sunday with his first shot at a major championship. Spaun nearly ejected himself from the tournament with a front-nine 40, but he didn't let it end there.
Spaun began the day 3-under, one stroke behind the leader, and finished at 1-under. It took more than a back-nine 33 for Spaun to become the eighth first-time major winner to win at Oakmont in 10 tournaments, though he did hit the shot of the tournament at No. 17. His drive on the par-4 headed directly for the pin, nearly dropping in the cup. He converted a two-putt birdie to take the solo lead heading into the final hole, ahead of Robert MacIntyre.
As the final pairing of Sam Burns and Adam Scott stood on the 13th tee, at approximately 6:57 p.m., five men — Burns, Scott, Tyrrell Hatton, Spaun and Carlos Ortiz — were tied at the top of the leaderboard at 1-over.
Burns had begun the day the leader at 4-under, followed by Scott and Spaun at 3-under, and Hovland two strokes behind them. Little did they know that the fight to win the U.S. Open would more closely resemble staying afloat in a tidal wave than championship golf.
The chaos began when players were called off the course at 4:01 p.m. local time, with Burns and Scott on the No. 8 tee box. Rain was falling sideways, and rules officials took their positions to sound the horn, delaying play due to dangerous weather. Burns, seeing the signs, decided to take an extra moment to gather himself before hitting his tee shot, wiping off his club head, bringing a dry glove out of his bag. It was timely — they were pulled off the course and sent into a rain delay as he fidgeted. He carried his lead into the 96-minute pause.
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Burns' momentum at the top continued after the break. He played holes Nos. 8 through 10 at even par, carding one bogey and one birdie, maintaining his position as the lone man under par.
That position was quickly stripped from Burns on the short par-4 11th. It turned nightmarish with Burns chipping back and forth across the green three times, eventually tapping in for double bogey.
Another dropped shot came at the 12th for Burns, and Hatton simultaneously picked one up on the par-13th. A five-way tie at the top made every shot from then on out consequential. Winds swirled. Fairways splashed with moisture. And the greens stayed slick.
Then the 34-year-old from Los Angeles came seemingly out of nowhere: Spaun had supposedly been ejected from contention after a front-nine 40, but now he was firmly back in it. He was undeniably the hottest player on the course. He sunk a 22-footer at the par-4 14th, his second birdie in three holes, to take the lead at even par.
Jon Rahm, who finished his round before the weather stopped play with a 67 to get to 4-over-par, held the clubhouse lead alone for four hours, was finally joined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and only clipped at 7:35 p.m. by someone no one thought was in the mix to begin the day. Robert MacIntyre birdied Nos. 14 and 17 to meet the leaders at 1-over-par, on the latter shouting after his ball, 'Be as good as you look, please!' as it floated to the uphill green.
The rules were bound to be a factor on this strange U.S. Open evening. Burns stood in the 15th fairway visibly upset that his first request for temporary relief from standing water was rejected by a USGA official. Scott waited as his playing partner called for a second opinion. The second answer was the same as the first. 'That was ridiculous,' Burns said, 'That's a (expletive) puddle.'
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The resulting shot headed sideways: An intended cut turned into a draw, leaving Burns in trouble once again. The incident resulted in a double bogey.
Emotions boiled over up ahead at 17. Hatton slammed his wedge into Oakmont's gnarly rough and swung his towel at the ground in frustration, leaving a wedge shot in the rough that would lead to a bogey and cost him his own chance at the tournament.
Scott made the turn at even-par but a bogey-bogey-double bogey stumble from holes Nos. 14-16 ended his tournament. Hovland finished third at 2-over-par, a slow start costing him. Ortiz doubled No. 15.
Oakmont's par-4 18th stood between Spaun and his maiden major championship victory. He roasted a drive down the fairway and subsequently, a 6-iron that found the left side of the green. Suddenly, with Hovland's approach sitting just a few feet behind, Spaun kneeled down, shielded by his umbrella. He had almost the exact same 64-foot putt that MacIntyre faced on the 18th, with the bonus of learning from Hovland, who went first.
Hovland gave it a run. His putt breezed by the cup on the low side of the hole.
Spaun stepped up and it was clear that he learned. The putt tracked toward the hole and fell in. A miracle putt. A birdie that would change the course of his career. A moment that would define this U.S. Open at Oakmont.