J.J. Spaun went to school on Viktor Hovland's U.S. Open putt — now he's buying a present

USA Today

7 hours ago

J.J. Spaun went to school on Viktor Hovland's U.S. Open putt — now he's buying a present
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J.J. Spaun relives the dramatic 64-foot birdie on 18 to win U.S. Open
A 64-foot birdie to seal it. J.J. Spaun is your 2025 U.S. Open champion after a dramatic finish at Oakmont.
USGA
Viktor Hovland has a bottle of wine headed his way from U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun.
'I got to give him a nice bottle of wine or something, whatever he wants,' Spaun said on The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday.
Spaun holed a 65-foot birdie putt on the 18th green on Sunday to shoot 2-over 72 and finish as the only player under par at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.
Spaun benefited from Hovland putting first after his approach stopped very close to Spaun's ball and on the same line. Hovland nearly made his but settled for par and finished alone in third place.
'That was a nice teach,' Spaun said. 'That's one of those things that has to go your way to win, not only a championship but a major championship. I'm just happy to have capitalized on that little advantage.'
It was the longest putt anyone had made all week at Oakmont and the longest putt Spaun had made all season. He also had made a 40-foot bomb at 12 and a 22-foot birdie at 14. In all, he made over 400 feet of putts, best in the field and ranked second in Strokes Gained: Putting. How surprised we he that he made the putt?
'Oh, stunned,' Spaun said. 'You can tell by my reaction. My LAB Putter was so hot that I had to toss it. I didn't even want like a 3-footer. When I hit it. I knew it was good pace. I just wasn't sure if it was the right line.'
Patrick next asked if Spaun would be retiring his putter.
'Heck, no, Dan, c'mon. That thing has been so hot for me,' he said.