JJ Spaun uses Players confidence to shoot lowest-ever US Open opening round at Oakmont
JJ Spaun knows what it takes to drag Rory McIlroy into deep waters. On opening day at Oakmont, as his Sawgrass foe was slowly pulled below the surface, the softly-spoken world No.25 was the only man finding buoyancy. It turns out McIlroy played his part.
Spaun, the 34-year-old Californian with just one PGA Tour win to his name, is in the midst of a career year. On Thursday he turned in the most sparkling major round of his life, riding a wave of focused and faultless play to lead the US Open by two shots as the afternoon wave set out to chase his clubhouse lead.
Spaun's bogey-free 66 matched the lowest-ever opening round for a US Open at the hallowed Pittsburgh course. It's been that kinda year. And it all began where it could have ended.
Spaun held the 54-hole lead at golf's fifth major, the Players, earlier this year and was paired with McIlroy for a Sawgrass Sunday. When so many with such little experience of those kind of pressure situations would have wilted, Spaun stood tall and dragged McIlroy all the way to a Monday playoff. A runners-up cheque was consolation but the experience was all the more valuable.
'The Players was a kind of spring into the self-belief because it wasn't like I faked it,' Spaun said after coming in from his productive morning which featured four birdies and 14 pars. "You can maybe fake it at the Sony and Cognizant or whatever, but to do that at The Players, a course where I'd never done well historically, and to go head-to-head with Rory on Sunday, and then the playoff was great for my confidence.
'I didn't win, but it was great for me to kind of lean back on that experience and know that I can perform on the biggest of stages and handle it with the pressure.'
Spaun did that Thursday to soar well clear of an early chasing pack featuring less than a dozen players in the red. A chip-in birdie on his first hole gave him a fast start and he added three more before the turn then parred all the way home, wobbling only briefly.
'It set the tone for how the day was going to go. You're not really expecting to chip it in. It was a nice little wake-up call at 7.10 in the morning or whatever it was,' added Spaun, whose scrambling par from the Church Pew bunker on the 3rd was perhaps most impressive.
'It definitely makes me feel good, makes me feel confident that I'm leading the tournament. But there's plenty more golf left. This course is only going to get tougher. I'm trying to feel like I have nothing to lose. That was my mantra at The Players going into Sunday with the lead.'
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Irish Independent
25 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
US Open second round – Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry face cut battle at Oakmont
Live | The US Open continues today at the unforgiving Oakmont course in Pennsylvania. Irish hopefuls Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have been paired together for the first two rounds but struggled on day one posting +4 and +9 respectively and will need big improvements today to make the cut. Follow all the action as it happens here. US Open Leaderboard - Day 1: J.J. Spaun -4 (1) Thriston Lawrence -3 (7.20pm*) Sam Burns -2 (65) Si Woo Kim -2 (6.36 pm) Thomas Detry -1 (69) Viktor Hovland -1 (17*) Rory McIlroy +4 (74) Justin Rose +7 (77) Shane Lowry +9 (79) 22 minutes ago Hello and welcome to day two of the 2025 US Open from Oakmont Country Club It's cut day at the 2025 US Open, and all Irish eyes will be on the 6.25pm tee time as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry look to battle back after tough opening rounds at the brutally tough Oakmont Country Club. McIlroy started well yesterday but a messy back nine means he starts the day at four-over-par, eight back from leader JJ Spaun. The course is showing its teeth today and anything under par is a good score, so McIlroy will be hoping to claw his way back into this golf tournament and avoid any big numbers or high rough. His good friend and playing partner, Shane Lowry had an even tougher day despite a miraculous hole-out eagle on his back nine. the Clara man struggled to a nine-over-par 79 and will need a brilliant round to make the weekend. With just seven players under par, the course is showing real teeth and any scores under par will make big ground, with leader Spaun yet to go out. Let's hope that the Irish can give us something to cheer. Sit back, relax, and enjoy as I take you through the next five hours of major golf action, and stay tuned for reaction and analysis from Brian Keogh and Paul Kimmage. Yesterday 02:36 PM That'll do us for this Thursday evening! Our time is up. From me, Ultán Corcoran it was a pleasure to keep you updated on the action from Oakmont... even if the Irish golfers didn't fare too well! As always, make sure to keep an eye on the throughout the night for further updates and reactions. The likes of Morikawa, Hovland and Scheffler are only starting, so if you fancy watching on it can be followed live on Sky Sports Golf. We're just going to leave you with this wonderful eagle putt on the fourth from Brooks Koepka: Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X Brooks Koepka SINKS his eagle putt 🦅 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 12, 2025 Yesterday 02:32 PM Thriston Lawrence heads for the clubhouse after a 67 Sensational stuff from the South African who is in a real healthy position to make the cut provided he doesn't encounter any drastic turn in fortunes tomorrow. Aside from a dropped shot on the par-four second and a double bogey on the par-four ninth, the 29-year-old cleaned up with six birdies across the round. That included a very impressive back nine without dropping a shot as he finishes his opening round just a stroke behind Spaun (-4) on three under. U.S. Open on Twitter / X Bad form? Psh!Thriston Lawrence 🇿🇦 had missed 7 of his last 8 cuts coming into this solo 2nd after an opening-round 67. U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025 Yesterday 02:11 PM Thriston Lawrence moves into sole control of second place on three under and just a shot behind Spaun. The South African has been on fire in the back nine so far, with a birdie on the par-four 17th hole. He striped his tee shot straight down the fairway to the edge of the green, cut his putt down from 95-feet to a comfortable 4-footer which he knocked in. Yesterday 01:56 PM Detry cards a one-under 69 for his opening round Impressive stuff from the 32-year-old Belgian whose approaches on the par-four third, par-three sixth and par-four ninth set him up for birdies on each. The back nine didn't play out quite as he would have hoped - he opened with a dropped shot on the par-four tenth before signing off in disappointing fashion with bogey on the last. Nonetheless, Detry is very much in contention to make the cut if he can emulate that form at Oakmont tomorrow! Yesterday 01:52 PM A solid start for Scottie Scheffler and Colin Morikawa who open their accounts with par on the first. Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland fares slightly worse with bogey - it was a nice tee shot but a huge bounce left him needing three putts to drain it. Yesterday 01:43 PM Robert MacIntyre wraps up with a disappointing bogey on his final hole. That leaves the Scotsman with an opening round of 70 which will stand him in good stead to make the cut if he can replicate or better that tomorrow. As for Korean competitor Kim Si-Woo, he enters the clubhouse two shots behind outright leader Spaun after a carding a 68. The 29-year-old's best finish in the US Open was a tie for 13th back in 2017. Bear in mind only three golfers have finished they day in the red: Spaun (-4), Kim (-2) and Griffin (-1). It looks likely that Thomas Detry (-2 thru 17) and Thriston Lawrence (-2 thru 15) could follow suit. Yesterday 01:38 PM Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm commenced their day from the 10th hole and gave themselves looks at birdies. Rahm's effort from about 30 feet doesn't drop, while Spieth can't make his from about eight feet. Pars apiece in the end. Dustin Johnson is short of the green in two but judges a putt to perfection which left him with a tap-in par. Yesterday 01:35 PM Since our last updates on the Irish contingent, 2025 PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler has teed off alongside Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. We're about to wind down our coverage here once the last of the early session golfers finish up and make their way to the clubhouse. The evening coverage can still be followed live over on Sky Sports Golf. Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X Scottie Scheffler gets his U.S. Open challenge underway 🇺🇸 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 12, 2025 Yesterday 01:31 PM Rory McIlroy shoots a four-over round of 74 in his opening round Wrapping up on his first day's work, McIlroy cuts his 40-foot putt down to a 4-footer and taps in for par. It was all looking so promising in the front nine. The Holywood, man started on the 10th-hole and drained consecutive birdies on the par-three eleventh and par-five twelfth. He rounded out the first nine holes without a flaw, but the back nine caused all sorts of problems - namely the 13th and 17th holes - where the rough gave him bother. A quartet of bogeys led to his only double bogey on the 17th which puts the 36-year-old under some pressure ahead of day two in Pennsylvania. Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X Rory McIlroy hits an opening round of 74 at the U.S. Open ⛳️🇺🇸 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 12, 2025 Yesterday 01:24 PM Shane Lowry enters the clubhouse with a disappointing 79 Oh Shane... he drains his final 3-foot putt of the day for par with ease. Whatever about the front-nine, in which he fired two bogies and a double-bogey, the back nine caught him out all together. It looked like the Offaly man might claw it back after a wonderful eagle on the par-four third, but it never stabilised there after. He rounded off with three bogeys and a double bogey in his last five holes. One would imagine the 38-year-old will need to finish well under-par on round two if he hopes to make the cut! Yesterday 01:18 PM At least the 18th and final hole of this first round is treating McIlroy and Lowry a bit better. Both golfers find safe ground on the green with their second shots in their approach. McIlroy is slightly closer to the pin but it's easily a 40-foot putt for birdie. Par would suffice here you'd imagine! Yesterday 01:13 PM WATCH: A compilation of that outrageous round of 66 from J.J. Spaun - a joint-best opening day score in US Open history at Oakmont U.S. Open on Twitter / X Watch and learn! 👇👇👇Every televised shot from J.J. Spaun's bogey-free 66, just the 8th flawless round in U.S. Open history at Oakmont. U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. Yesterday 01:09 PM Onto the final tee for his first round and McIlroy will be happy with that - he stripes it down the right-hand lane of the fairway. Lowry will hope to emulate that and try end his first Oakmont outing on a high. Yesterday 01:08 PM First double-bogey of the day for McIlroy, Lowry drops a shot It's a long and unorthodox par-three eighth to be fair, but McIlroy pays the price. He tries to force his way out of the rough and barely gets any lift out of the ball. It travelled a few feet at best. With his third, he manages to skittle it across the green leaving him with a long putt for bogey. The best he can do is get it within a few feet before sinking it for double bogey - his first of the day! Disaster. As for Shane, he finds the green but a disastrous round goes from bad to worse as Oakmont claims another putt for par from the Offaly native. It was a 5-footer that came up short so bogey it is! He slips to 9 over. Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X Rory McIlroy experiencing the dangers of the Oakmont rough 🫣 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 12, 2025 Yesterday 12:59 PM Robert MacIntyre creeps into the red numbers - only the sixth golfer to do so as things stand - with a neat birdie on the 15th: U.S. Open on Twitter / X Welcome to the red zone!Bob MacIntyre 🏴 gets to under par for the first time today. U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. Yesterday 12:55 PM Onto their 17th-hole of the day on the par-three eighth and McIlroy pulls his tee shot to the right and into the rough. As for Lowry, it's a narrow escape - his ball looks destined for the sand but slows up just in time! He needed that. Yesterday 12:52 PM The leaderboard continues to shift and change as Ben Griffin picks up his second birdie on his back nine to move within two strokes of leader Spaun (-4) who sits in the clubhouse. Korean golfer Kim Si-Woo bounces back into second place with consecutive birdies on the par-three sixth and par-four seventh. Just one shot behind Spaun now! Yesterday 12:49 PM Dropped shots all round for the Irish contingent Yikes! Neither McIlroy or Lowry fare any better on the par-four seventh - their 16th hole of the opening round. The County Down native is let down by his putting game once again as he picks up his fourth bogey on the back nine. Meanwhile, Lowry drops a further two shots behind as he reluctantly jots down his third double-bogey of the day onto his scorecard. Yesterday 12:43 PM Spaun ends the day with a flawless 66 Just incredible from the Californian at Oakmont in this opening round. Starting on the 10th Hole, he nailed three birdies in his front nine paved the way to a flawless run of nine pars on the back nine. An absolutely sensational round of golf from the 34-year-old who went bogey-free throughout and stands a good chance of finishing the day top of the leaderboard. One of the best-ever scores at Oakmont in the US Open! Sky Sports Golf on Twitter / X A BOGEY-FREE round of 66 from J.J. Spaun 🙌His lowest round in a major 🔥 Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 12, 2025 Live Blog Software
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Golf's silent treatment issue is now coming to a head
A little cobbled courtyard in front of the scorer's office at the Quail Hollow Club was the setting for some tough scenes last month. Those stones saw more rejected advances than this writer's days on a disco dance floor. BBC Northern Ireland had dispatched a reporter and a cameraman to the site of the PGA Championship in North Carolina for the week, a significant transatlantic outlay in this era of ever-tightening sportsdesk budgets. But Rory McIlroy was coming off his glorious career grand slam moment in Augusta and interest levels justified the expense. On the Saturday afternoon, when McIlroy turned down all dance requests from the media for a third-straight day, the men from the Beeb at least had the consolation of Tom McKibbin coming in soon after. The 22-year-old had made the weekend in his debut at the year's second major. As an apprentice to his fellow Holywood master he could have some insights on many fronts. All was not lost. That was until McKibbin also turned down the media request. Back to dancing on your own, boys. To his credit, McKibbin did speak every other day. McIlroy, of course, left Quail Hollow without having made a single post-round appearance in front of a microphone. On Thursday lunchtime at Oakmont, the world No.2 again said no to media requests after opening his US Open account with a 4-over 74. For those counting, that's now five-straight rounds at major championships where McIlroy has given the press the silent treatment. Before you think this is a naval-gazing, self-important plea for someone, anyone to think of the sports journalists, let's be clear: that's not our aim. Professional golfers play arguably the most mentally oppressive sport there is. Expecting them all to stroll off the 18th and instantly recite poetry about the pain they've just experienced is unrealistic and perhaps even unfair. Whether you're reporting on site from one of these big weeks or the even the less-heralded stops on tour, one common habit is to check how the player you're eager to speak with has finished their round. Birdie on 18? The form should be good. Par? We'll be alright. Bogey? Hmmm, this could be dicey. Double or treble? Maybe we can leave the chat til tomorrow. This approach isn't shared by everyone in the media centre, of course. There has arguably never been as much focus and as many requests from broadcast, written and social media for the game's leading lights and some of the journalistic skills can leave a lot to be desired. On Thursday afternoon, amateur Matthew Vogt came into the Oakmont interview tent after shooting a 12-over 82. The first query from the press pack was as follows: 'Matt, talk about everything?' It was an equally lazy question which lit the fuse for Shane Lowry's angst at Augusta when he rightly bristled at being asked for his take on Rory McIlroy when he was still processing his own Masters outlook. Between Lowry, McIlroy and Collin Morikawa's spirited takes on the topic, this has been a season where it very much feels like an issue coming to a head. Paul McGinley has established himself as one of the more respected pundits on tour in recent times with his Live From appearances alongside Brandel Chamblee making for often essential viewing. After McIlroy had gone mute on Thursday, the former Ryder Cup captain had his take. 'I think the mistake lies not so much with Rory or Morikawa or anyone else who doesn't [talk to the media],' McGinley insisted. 'The mistake lies with golf and why isn't golf mandating these guys to [talk]? They're playing for ridiculously high price points. They've got to give a little bit back. And good, bad or indifferent, it needs to be mandated that they [talk] for the good of the game and the good of the tournament.' When making his reappearance on tour last week in Canada, McIlroy addressed his Quail Hollow media snubs. The chatter around his non-compliant driver hadn't helped. But in response to a query from the Examiner, McIlroy also added that 'some days you don't feel like talking'. As often the case with the 36-year-old, forever one of the game's most available and open speakers, there appears to be something more strategic here too. The fact that the players aren't currently contractually obliged to speak is something he feels should change. 'If we all wanted to, we could bypass you guys and go on social media and do it our own way,' he said. 'We understand that that's not ideal for you guys and there's a bigger dynamic at play here. I talk to you guys a lot. I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street. "But I've been beating this drum for a long time. If they want to make it mandatory, that's fine. But in our rules it says that it's not, and until the day that that's maybe written into the regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time.' This, however, remains a delicate time for the sport. It's striking that this week in Pittsburgh the two most engaging press conferences came from LIV golfers, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau's sessions in the tent were great to watch and listen to. After his impressive opening round Brooks Koepka, not particularly one of the game's most eloquent speakers, was nonetheless happy to go deep on a very rough few months for him. As much as DeChambeau has harnessed YouTube to remarkable effect, transforming into the man of at least some the people, there is still a place for all types of media. We're ultimately a communication channel to the rest of the people. Talk about everything? No, that's not the way. But it's surely not too much to talk about something.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Indo Sport podcast: Bits & Bobs Trent's surprising Spanish
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold hablas Español, Drogheda's owners bring in the suits and Michael Cheika takes a step closer to bouldering his impressive CV. Plus - Rory McIlroy stays quiet at the US Open, and the American media aren't impressed. If you'd like to get in touch with the show, email us at indosportpodcast@ You can subscribe to our dedicated Indo Sport YouTube page here. Listen on…. Spotify Apple Podcasts
