J.J. Spaun weathers the storm at U.S. Open for first major win
J.J. Spaun sank an improbable 64 1/2-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to cap his stunning first major victory, emerging from the pack in the wild, waterlogged final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday at Oakmont Country Club.
Spaun finished the round birdie-birdie to card a 2-over 72 and finish 1-under-par 279 for the week, two better than Scotland's Robert MacIntyre (final-round 68).
Spaun, 34, had just one prior victory on the PGA Tour. He held the first-round lead, hung around through Friday and Saturday and then won a war of attrition in horrid weather conditions.
At one point down the final stretch, five players were tied for the lead at 1 over, and the group didn't even include eventual runner-up MacIntyre.
At the 314-yard, par-4 17th hole, Spaun pumped a drive uphill that settled on the well-guarded green. He two-putted for birdie to take the outright lead.
Needing par at No. 18, Spaun landed his second shot on the far side of the green and got a read from playing partner Viktor Hovland of Norway, who putted first. Spaun only needed par to win but drained the birdie, letting the waterworks flow as the heavens poured on him.
WHAT A PUTT!!!!
J.J. SPAUN WINS THE U.S. OPEN!!!! pic.twitter.com/EWdYQeDAzF — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2025
Hovland (73) placed third at 2 over. Cameron Young (70), England's Tyrrell Hatton (72) and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz (73) tied for fourth at 3 over.
Sam Burns led Spaun and Australia's Adam Scott by one stroke after 54 holes, but Burns and Scott came undone in the rain. Burns shot a 78 to fall to 4 over, tied with Scottie Scheffler (70) and Spain's Jon Rahm (67); Scott (79) posted 6 over.
Even before the adverse conditions set in Sunday afternoon, there was carnage throughout the leaderboard. The worst seemed to be reserved for Spaun, who bogeyed five of his first six holes and got an especially bad break at No. 2.
Spaun's wedge shot into the green took one hop and bounced off the flagstick. The backspin kicked in and the ball rolled 40 yards down the front of the green as Spaun stared, bewildered.
Oakmont was devilishly difficult throughout the week, but heavy rain made the back nine borderline unfair. The rain gear and umbrellas had come out well before a suspension began at 4:01 p.m., lasting 96 minutes.
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Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
JJ Spaun's US Open win a tale of finding resilience and belief
New Delhi: American JJ Spaun's victory on Sunday at the US Open, the year's third golf major that is invariably played on brutal courses meant to push the game's elite to the limit, shines as a great underdog story and demonstrates what resilience can help achieve. The 34-year-old from California achieved a two-shot victory at Oakmont, arguably the world's most unforgiving course that caused further mayhem in the final round following rain – it led to a 90-minute stoppage. The soaked fairways, wind, thick roughs and deep bunkers demanded patience and character above skill. Spaun though hit arguably two of the greatest shots to win a major, the first driver off the tee to reach the green on the 309-yard, par-4 17th hole where he two-putted for birdie to take a decisive one-shot lead. And amid anxiety of what final havoc the steady drizzle could do with shot judgement, Spaun, needing only to two-putt on the last hole to win, produced a stunning 64 feet, five inch birdie, the longest putt made in the tournament. It sealed a two-shot win over Scotland's Robert MacIntyre. The conditions and his own putting even left world No.1 Scottie Scheffler humbled at tied 7th with Spanish former winner Jon Rahm, at four-over. Spaun, one shot off the lead overnight, was the only player to finish under-par for the tournament (1-under 279) after a final round two-over 72. Overnight leader Sam Burns (8-over 78) and Australia's Adam Scott, at 44 chasing a major after 12 years and in the final pairing (9-over 79) fell away. Having watched intently the line Norway's Viktor Hovland took for his putt from a similar lie before cashing in, an ecstatic Spaun jumped into the arms of his caddie before celebrating with his wife and two young daughters. The reward for winning the national championship was a $4.3 million cheque, the Jack Nicklaus gold medal, and a world ranking bump to No.8. 'I didn't look at the scoreboard,' said Spaun on staying in the moment. 'I didn't know if I had a two-shot lead. I didn't want to do anything dumb trying to protect a three-putt or something.' It was a final round of two parts for Spaun. One off overnight leader Sam Burns, Spaun was five over for the first six holes when heavy rain forced the long stoppage. His short game coach Josh Gregory and swing coach Josh Schriber gave him pep talk, boosted his confidence and focus. It worked like magic as Spaun went three-under in the last seven holes, sealed with two winning birdies, for a life-changing victory. 'It just felt like, as bad as things were going, I still tried to just commit to every shot. I tried to just continue to dig deep,' Spaun said. 'I've been doing it my whole life.' Forget the win, even the 2025 season may not have happened. Having turned pro in 2017, Spaun had struggled with a lack of belief in his own game. Despite his first PGA Tour win at the 2022 Texas Open, the mental blues meant he wanted to walk away whenever in contention. Late last year, with his PGA Tour ranking down to 119 – only the top 125 retained their card – Spaun even inquired if he could quit playing and join any club as a golf pro. The turning point came in March at The Players Championship, where he finished runner-up. He lost a three-hole playoff with Rory McIlroy after finding water on the iconic par-3 17th hole of Florida's TPC Sawgrass course, but it boosted his esteem. 'That made him believe 'I can be one of the best in the world'. That validated it and this will take him over the hump,' quoted Gregory as saying. There was also inspiration watching the 2004 film Wimbledon, a story of a tennis player's resurgence and Slam victory after nearly giving up playing. The PGA Tour recently produced another heartwarming story. US golfer Ben Griffin, 29, won last month's Charles Schwab Challenge – The Colonial is one of the five big-money invitational events – for his first individual title on the PGA Tour. A bright talent, Griffin left playing in 2021 after he lost the Korn Ferry Tour (feeder series) card, due to financial pressures and burnout. He worked as a mortgage loan officer before being persuaded to return to golf. He finished T10 on Sunday.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
American shows remarkable resurgence, hits a 65-foot birdie on 72nd to win the US Open
Oakmont Country Club , that merciless crucible of golf, has long been the stage where dreams are forged and reputations shattered. In the 125th US Open , J.J. Spaun , a 34-year-old journeyman with a single PGA Tour win, etched his name into the storied silverware. After sliding into a dark recess on the front nine, Spaun's remarkable resurgence was equal parts improbable and poetic. Facing a rain-soaked course and a leaderboard teeming with talent, Spaun's final-round heroics—culminating in a 65-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole—delivered a maiden Major title that resonated like a thunderclap across the Pennsylvania hills. His triumph was a testament to resilience, a narrative of a man who turned a nightmare start into a fairytale finish, outlasting a field that crumbled under Oakmont's unrelenting pressure. Spaun's week began with a historic flourish: a bogey-free 66 in the first round, matching the lowest opening score in Oakmont's US Open history, a feat only previously achieved by Dustin Johnson in 2016. Spaun's flawless round was one of just two bogey-free performances in the last three Oakmont US Opens. By the third round, he sat one stroke behind Sam Burns at 3-under, staying in the hunt with a relentless putter. Spaun gained more than two and a half strokes on the field with his putter. Over the week, he sank more than 400 feet of putts, including some monster putts under pressure over the final stretch. It is hard to believe Spaun was outside the top 100 at the start of the season. But three top three finishes, including a heartbreaking playoff loss to Rory McIlroy at the Players, must have served as a warning. Even if we weren't paying him attention then, the US Open catapults Spaun into rarefied territory as a Major winner. Halfway through Sunday, Spaun was licking his wounds. His card was a bleeding mess as the players retreated inside for the weather interruption. The Angeleno stumbled out of the gates, carding five bogeys in his first six holes for a front-nine 40, falling to 5-over. A 90-minute rain delay at 4:02 p.m. offered a reset, and Spaun seized it, posting a 3-under 32 on the back nine, including birdies on 12 (40 feet), 14 (20 feet), 17 (two-putt), and the astounding missile on the 18th. His final score of 1-under-par made him the only player under par for 72 holes. That was a testament to Oakmont's brutality, as it is to the resilience of the Los Angeles resident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 中年以降であれば、このゲームは必須です。 BuzzDaily Winners ゲームをプレイ Undo The final round was a chaotic ballet of shifting fortunes. Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader at 4-under, held a one-shot edge over Spaun and Adam Scott, with Viktor Hovland at 1-under. By the 11th, Burns doubled, Scott bogeyed, and no player was under par, with a five-way tie at 1-over among Burns, Scott, Spaun, Tyrrell Hatton, and Carlos Ortiz. Robert MacIntyre, starting at 3-over, clawed back with a 60-foot eagle on the fourth and three birdies, setting the clubhouse lead at 1-over with a 68. Spaun, reinvigorated post-delay, surged with a 40-foot birdie on 12, taking the solo lead with a sensational drive to pin on 17. Burns faltered, carding a 78, his back nine marred by a double on 11 and a bogey on 12. Scott, playing stellar golf at 44, shot a 79, undone by a bogey-bogey finish. MacIntyre's resolve shone, but Spaun's closing birdie-birdie finish—only the fifth such ending in US Open history, alongside Ben Hogan's 1953 Oakmont win—sealed a two-shot victory. LIV Golf 's contingent made a strong showing, defying sceptics. Tyrrell Hatton, with an eagle on 12 and a birdie on 13, reached 1-over, tying for the lead late but stumbled with a bogey-bogey finish for a 72, ending the week in T4 at 3-over. Carlos Ortiz, a dark horse, shot a third-round 67 and birdied 11 for a defiant 73, briefly co-leading at 1-over before finishing T4 at 3-over. Jon Rahm, starting at 7-over, fired a joint-best 67, with three straight birdies to close, securing T7 at 4-over. Their performances underscored LIV's depth, with Ortiz and Hatton in the thick of contention and Rahm's late charge hinting at his enduring class. After struggling most week, including a dalliance with the missed cut, McIlroy regained his dignity with a stoic 67 in the final round, good enough for T19. Live Events Scottie Scheffler, the world No 1, battled Oakmont's ferocity to a T7 finish at 4-over, despite a first-round 73 that marked his worst Major opening. His 70-70 weekend rounds showed resilience, with birdies on 17 in both the third and final rounds, though a three-putt bogey on 11 and a double on the third hole cost him. The putter deserted Scheffler – several misses inside five feet, and many three putt misadventures left the world No 1 struggling on Oakmont's undulating green complexes. His ability to salvage a top-10 finish despite his struggles were another testimony to his impeccable quality. The rain-soaked fairways of Oakmont, ever the stern judge of golf's mettle, bore witness to J.J. Spaun's ascent from journeyman to legend. His back-nine 32, a defiant riposte to a front-nine collapse, was less a round than a revelation. Each birdie was a brushstroke on a canvas of adversity. As Robert MacIntyre watched, agape, from the clubhouse, Spaun's 65-foot putt on the 18th—a putt that danced with destiny—found the cup, sealing a victory that echoed through the Allegheny Valley. In a championship where necessity met nerve, Spaun's triumph was a singular act of will, proving that even Oakmont's cruelest tests can yield to an unwavering, steely heart.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
J.J. Spaun weathers the storm at U.S. Open for first major win
J.J. Spaun sank an improbable 64 1/2-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to cap his stunning first major victory, emerging from the pack in the wild, waterlogged final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday at Oakmont Country Club. Spaun finished the round birdie-birdie to card a 2-over 72 and finish 1-under-par 279 for the week, two better than Scotland's Robert MacIntyre (final-round 68). Spaun, 34, had just one prior victory on the PGA Tour. He held the first-round lead, hung around through Friday and Saturday and then won a war of attrition in horrid weather conditions. At one point down the final stretch, five players were tied for the lead at 1 over, and the group didn't even include eventual runner-up MacIntyre. At the 314-yard, par-4 17th hole, Spaun pumped a drive uphill that settled on the well-guarded green. He two-putted for birdie to take the outright lead. Needing par at No. 18, Spaun landed his second shot on the far side of the green and got a read from playing partner Viktor Hovland of Norway, who putted first. Spaun only needed par to win but drained the birdie, letting the waterworks flow as the heavens poured on him. WHAT A PUTT!!!! J.J. SPAUN WINS THE U.S. OPEN!!!! — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2025 Hovland (73) placed third at 2 over. Cameron Young (70), England's Tyrrell Hatton (72) and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz (73) tied for fourth at 3 over. Sam Burns led Spaun and Australia's Adam Scott by one stroke after 54 holes, but Burns and Scott came undone in the rain. Burns shot a 78 to fall to 4 over, tied with Scottie Scheffler (70) and Spain's Jon Rahm (67); Scott (79) posted 6 over. Even before the adverse conditions set in Sunday afternoon, there was carnage throughout the leaderboard. The worst seemed to be reserved for Spaun, who bogeyed five of his first six holes and got an especially bad break at No. 2. Spaun's wedge shot into the green took one hop and bounced off the flagstick. The backspin kicked in and the ball rolled 40 yards down the front of the green as Spaun stared, bewildered. Oakmont was devilishly difficult throughout the week, but heavy rain made the back nine borderline unfair. The rain gear and umbrellas had come out well before a suspension began at 4:01 p.m., lasting 96 minutes.
