Robert MacIntyre falls short as JJ Spaun clinches US Open win
Robert MacIntyre fell just short in his bid to win the US Open after JJ Spaun broke his heart with a dazzling display at the death.
MacIntyre burst into contention to become Scotland's first major winner since 1999 on Sunday at a rain-soaked Oakmont after producing an excellent two-under-par 68.
Advertisement
That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and he looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play.
"Wow."
Bobby Mac is all of us right now.
pic.twitter.com/dUMWpH365o
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf)
June 16, 2025
But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory.
MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent.
He became a major champion for the first time and was the only man to finish in the red with a score of one under.
Advertisement
While the 17th hole helped Spaun's dreams come true, it killed Tyrell Hatton's.
The Englishman was in a five-way tie for the lead at one over when he found himself still in the rough after three shots. He bogeyed that and then the 18th to finish three over.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by U.S. Open Championship (@usopengolf)
Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention.
Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes.
Advertisement
But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory.
Indeed, Burns and Scott could not cope after the restart as they seemed in competition to see who could find the worst positions in the rough.
Burns was the overnight leader at four under but his round disintegrated after the resumption, with two double bogeys in an ugly round of eight over par to finish tied for seventh on four over.
Scott, hoping to win a major for the first time in 12 years, fared even worse, going round in 79.
Advertisement
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler ended up tied for seventh after impressive rounds, while Rory McIlroy produced his best round of a difficult week to finish on seven over.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
14 minutes ago
- Sky News
Stuart Hogg: Sheriff notes ex-Scotland rugby captain's 'compliance' with order in domestic abuse case
A sheriff has noted former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg's "complete compliance" with a community payback order following his domestic abuse conviction. Hogg, 32, last year pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of his estranged wife, Gillian Hogg, between 2019 and 2024. He admitted shouting and swearing, tracking her movements and sending her messages which were alarming and distressing in nature. A court heard how he berated his ex-partner for "not being fun" after going on drinking binges with his colleagues, and once sent more than 200 text messages to her in the space of a few hours, causing her to suffer a panic attack. In January, Hogg was handed a community payback order (CPO) with one year of supervision and a five-year non-harassment order. He had earlier been fined £600 for breaching bail conditions by repeatedly contacting Mrs Hogg when prohibited from doing so. Sheriff Peter Paterson warned the sentence was an "alternative to custody". During a review of the order at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, the rugby player was not present himself and was represented by his lawyer Mat Patrick. Mr Patrick said: "This is the second review of this order. My submission is that the order should be allowed to continue." Sheriff Paterson said the only point on which he was unclear was whether Hogg - who plays for French team Montpellier - "was back in the UK", to which Mr Patrick replied that he was not. Discussing the order, Sheriff Paterson noted "that there has been complete compliance with it". He added: "My intention is that there would be no further review." It comes after Sheriff Paterson previously urged Hogg to "face the consequences of his actions" and "move on" from feeling "hard done by". Hogg's parents, John and Margaret Hogg, attended the court hearing. The sportsman retired from professional rugby in July 2023 but last summer it was announced he was returning after signing for Montpellier on a two-year contract. The former Glasgow Warriors and Exeter Chiefs player was made an MBE for services to the sport in last year's New Year Honours list. in the wake of the court case.
Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Robert MacIntyre's gesture to JJ Spaun captured by TV cameras at US Open
Robert MacIntyre produced a stunning final round at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday but it wasn't enough as JJ Spaun claimed a famous victory at the US Open to clinch his first major Robert MacIntyre's classy gesture as JJ Spaun won the US Open was caught by TV cameras. The Scottish golfer could have been forgiven for starting to believe he had done enough to win his first major title himself. MacIntyre 's impressive final-round 68 amid the Pennsylvania rain set the clubhouse lead at one-over-par. Spaun, who started in a share of second place at three-under-par, had been without luck early in his round to fall away from the lead. Yet, the American launched a spectacular comeback, birdieing the 17th to take a one-shot lead up the last, before sealing his first major triumph with a stunning 66-foot birdie putt. Sat in the scorers' room at that moment, MacIntyre's reaction to Spaun's incredible long-range putt to clinch the title was telling. The two-time PGA Tour winner responded with sincere applause and simply said: 'Wow.' MacIntyre started the final round seven shots off the lead and he was the only player in the top six to card an under-par round on Sunday, putting together a brilliant 68 in the most difficult of conditions, emerging from a 100-minute weather delay to show why he deserves to be considered one of the best talents in the sport. The Scotsman had made it clear even before Spaun's decisive shot that he would have no regrets, regardless of the result, reports the Mirror US. He said: "The back nine was just all about fighting. My previous rain delay comebacks haven't been strong. Today was a day that I said to myself, 'Why not? Why not it be me today?' "When I was going round, and I just trusted myself, trusted my caddie, trusted all the work that I've done, and we're sitting here in the clubhouse nicely, and just wait and see." Spaun tried to contain his emotions on the 18th green as he was presented with the US Open Championship Trophy, before being interviewed by NBC's Mike Tirico. "I don't think I kept my composure, to be honest, with all the breaks I was getting," Spaun said in relation to a pair of unlucky bounces in his opening three holes. "I was trying to just dig deep and hit some good shots coming in. "But honestly, the weather delay we had changed the whole vibe for the day. I bounced back and fought really hard on the back nine. "When I hit it, I thought it was a little short, but it was right on the line I was going for and about eight feet out it was just looking really good. It was just going right at the hole and it's just one of those moments in major championships where that happens to seal the deal. Fortunately, it was my time. "I never thought I would be here holding this trophy. I always had aspirations and dreams, but I never knew what my ceiling was or how good I could be. "But I'm just proud that I've been resilient in my career and pushed through a lot of things and just tried to be the best golfer I can be. I'm happy to display that today at Oakmont."
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How Prince Harry's wild Las Vegas night with Ryan Lochte ended in scandal
When Prince Harry and Ryan Lochte descended on the Las Vegas strip - with bikini-clad models and gallons of alcohol - scandal was sure to follow. The star swimmer had taken a month out of the water after dominating the London Olympics with two gold medals. He headed straight for Sin City that August for a belated birthday party, after turning 28 during the Games. He once told Kelly Osborne: 'I went with my friends, I just wanted to relax and have some downtime.' But what he wasn't counting on was bumping into Prince Harry, who'd also fled to the Strip for a recharge after representing the Royal Family as an Olympic ambassador. The then 27-year-old had been showered in praise for his maturity during the huge event - but that quickly changed after his run-in with Lochte. So when the Prince went largely unnoticed by revelers at a party hosted by Jennifer Lopez the night before meeting Ryan, he would have been forgiven for thinking the old saying of 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' really was true. As J-Lo walked the red carpet at the afternoon event, hours before playing a show, Harry threw a beachball around in a pool with friends without anyone looking twice at him, even in his baggy red Bermuda shorts. The following night, they were at the luxurious Wynn Hotel and had been drinking since waking up. At around 2am, the Prince spotted Lochte, either recognizing him from his London heroics or noticing all the women that had surrounded his table. 'I curled into the corner of a leather banquette and watched a procession of young women come and go,' Harry recalled of the night in his autobiography Spare, which didn't mention Lochte. Soon enough, the swimmer and his friends were interrupted, approached by a man none of them knew. 'Prince Harry is here,' he told Lochte. 'You want to meet him?' The following night, they were at the luxurious Wynn hotel and had been drinking since waking up. Ryan said: 'Let's go!' accepting immediately. For a man whose life revolved around being number one, he was left thrilled to be in demand from royalty. He would later tell the Daily Mail: 'It was a huge honor to meet him. He's a great guy.' But after a little bit of mingling, Harry stopped Lochte from leaving. 'I was like, "Alright, I'm going to head back to my table with my friends, it was nice meeting you," and he was like, "Wait,"' Lochte said. 'He was like, "You want to get in the pool and race me? Right now?"' Lochte couldn't say no. He had just beaten the great Michael Phelps to win gold in the 400-meter individual medley in London. Why not add Prince Harry to the list? With music blasting, Harry whipped his top off and jumped in before Lochte followed, joining the groups of guys and girls who had also taken the party into the early hours. The crowds split either side of the duo to form a faint 10-meter racetrack. A girl in a bikini waited at the end to mark the finish line. Ryan admitted: 'Watching him swim, he does have good form. I was surprised. But of course, I won.' Ryan also previously told the Daily Mail of the race: 'He was a great competitor but in the end it was Team USA all the way! 'I was surprised that he challenged me. I didn't know if he had any skills in the pool but I definitely wasn't going to take it easy on him.' Surrounded by admirers, the pair stayed in the water to soak up the attention - Harry never did find his shirt again. They left the venue at around 4:30am, splitting the party in two and taking it back to their respective hotel rooms. But after a long day of drinking, only one of them was smart enough to keep the following antics behind closed doors. While Ryan confiscated the phones of those who joined him back at his hotel, Prince Harry was covertly pictured in his VIP suite by a guest, playing strip pool, naked with a scantily-clad woman next to him. Harry wrote of that day in Spare: 'We ordered breakfast, Bloody Marys. It was pool-party season in Vegas, so a big blowout was raging. 'My mates invited four or five women who worked at the hotel to join us (at the end of the night), along with two women they'd met at the blackjack tables... They looked dodgy.' After playing pool with his bodyguards, Harry admits he 'suggested we up the stakes' with strip pool. He continued: 'I was the big loser, reduced to my skivvies. Then I lost my skivvies. It was harmless, silly, or so I thought. Until the next day. 'Standing outside the hotel in the blinding desert sun I turned and saw one of my mates staring at his phone, his mouth falling open. 'I was naked before the eyes of the world. I berated myself. How had I been so stupid? Why had I trusted other people? 'I'd counted on those dodgy girls to show some basic decency and now I was going to pay the price forever. Those photos would never go away. 'My sense of guilt and shame made it hard at moments to draw a clean breath.' Ryan told Inside Edition: 'It could happen to anyone. I just tried my best to make sure that no cameras came in (to my party).' It sparked major humiliation for Harry and the Royal Family, just weeks after starring at the Olympics alongside his brother, William, and sister-in-law Kate. The late Robin Leach, a veteran entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Sun, wrote at the time: 'That's why people come to Vegas. To let their hair down and behave badly.' Ryan said he didn't get an invite from the Prince to his suite: 'He never said anything like that. After our race, we went our separate ways.' A year later, the athlete would describe his encounter with Harry as 'a one-time thing.' It is thought that the pair haven't met again. Weeks after the shock pictures of Harry emerged, he was back serving with the army in Afghanistan as part of a 20-week deployment that ended in 2013. Certainly for Harry in the following years, the optics of being pictured with Ryan would have served as a reminder of a night where he ended up tarnishing his family's reputation. The swimmer eventually got back in the pool - he joked in one interview that racing Harry reignited a competitive streak inside of him - and headed to the Rio Olympics in 2016, where he was embroiled in his own needless controversy. Ryan, along with fellow USA swimmers Gunnar Bents, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen, fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint by thugs posing as cops in Rio. The story unraveled spectacularly in front of a global audience. The scandal did major damage to Ryan's credibility and he lost sponsorship deals with Speedo and Ralph Lauren. He was also charged in Brazil with falsely reporting a crime but a judge threw the case out in July 2017. Whether he broke a law or not, for Harry it would have been another stark reason not to rekindle the friendship.
