J.J. Spaun is still processing his U.S. Open win on the eve of the Travelers Championship

USA Today

4 hours ago

J.J. Spaun is still processing his U.S. Open win on the eve of the Travelers Championship Life is changing fast for 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, who said Wednesday that he's still coming down from his Oakmont triumph.
CROMWELL, Conn. — J.J. Spaun hasn't had the quiet, still moment where the world fades, the noise quiets, and the magnitude of what just happened finally hits. The 33-year-old from Los Angeles is a U.S. Open champion, and on Wednesday morning at TPC River Highlands, a few days removed from draining a 64-foot putt to win at Oakmont, he admitted it hasn't fully sunk in.
'I'm not like fully in the clouds still,' Spaun said with a grin on Wednesday morning. 'We're getting a little below the ceiling.'
That was Spaun's way of saying: this is still surreal. His phone is stacked with messages he hasn't answered. He's appeared on national TV. His beloved Los Angeles Dodgers reached out. So did Mookie Betts. George Lopez texted. In the middle of it all, he's doing his best to get his head around his accomplishment and recalibrate to life as a major champion — and find a time and place to exhale.
'I got back (to his hotel from Oakmont) at 1:30 a.m., and I just kind of sat in bed, trying to maybe go through my phone,' Spaun said, recalling what happened after the trophy presentation ended, he signed mountains of memorabilia, and completed his duties as the new U.S. Open champion. 'Took a quick shower, started going through my phone to respond to some people, and just tried to see what was going on to help me soak it in and realize that it actually happened. It's just been such a blur since then.'
That's not the way Spaun instinctively likes to soak in his accomplishments.
'It would be nice to just sit on my couch at home and have the trophy sitting right next to me and watch some SportsCenter or something,' he said. 'That's kind of how I like to enjoy things.'
That moment, he says, is coming next week, after this week's Travelers Championship where he is scheduled to play Thursday afternoon with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The weight and the wonder
What Spaun accomplished at Oakmont is no small thing. He won on what many believe is the toughest U.S. Open course. He did it by going 3 under over the final nine holes, in swirling wind, on a soaked course, after a weather delay. It was as gritty as golf gets.
The win vaulted Spaun to No. 8 on the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 3 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. It earned him a spot in the history books and put a spotlight on his back. Life changes fast after your first major, and his fellow pros know it.
'The first time you come back out to the course is a bit of a circus,' said Scheffler, who has won two Masters and last month's PGA Championship. 'There's more people, more stuff to sign. It's a different energy, but J.J. earned it.'
Keegan Bradley, who is the United States Ryder Cup captain, won the first major he ever played, the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.
'Everything changed after Atlanta,' Bradley said Wednesday at TPC River Highlands. 'I remember coming home and going out to dinner with my friends and walking into the restaurant. I could feel that people knew who I was. I had never felt that. The thing I told J.J. was I hope he really enjoys this.'
Spaun has talked openly about wondering recently whether he was going to lose his PGA Tour card and whether his professional career might end soon, but after losing to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Players Championship in March, and now winning the U.S Open, he's the one doing the inspiring.
Jordan Spieth, who has won three majors and returned to the PGA Tour this season after a wrist injury, said, 'To see J.J. grind it out, to say last year, 'If this is the end, so be it,' and then turn it around, and now he's almost won two of the biggest four events this year? That's the kind of story that reminds you why you love this sport.'
Walking the tight rope
The balancing act Spaun must perform now is appreciating what he has done while maintaining the high level of play that won him the U.S. Open in the first place.
'I definitely need to keep the hunger,' he said on Wednesday. 'Winning the U.S. Open is going to be a huge boost to that sort of inner ego, I guess you could say, to keep that self-belief alive and burning.'
Self-doubt and wondering whether he had what it takes to be successful on the PGA Tour was something that challenged Spaun in the past, and something he had to overcome.
'I feel like that's kind of been my biggest barrier throughout my entire career – just trying not to be so hard on myself and not ruining any sort of confidence that I've built from all these experiences on my journey as a golfer,' Spaun said.
Player after player who competed last week at the U.S. Open has said this week's Travelers Championship, a tournament that prides itself on a relaxed atmosphere, player-friendly amenities (Pizza trucks and an espresso bar on the driving range, anyone?) and low scores comes at the perfect time. For Spaun, this no-cut PGA Tour Signature Event might be the perfect low-stress environment he needs before the British Open, FedEx Cup Playoffs, and now, the Ryder Cup. Keegan Bradley discussed Spaun on Wednesday as if he were already on the team.
'I think he's a guy that people at Bethpage will really resonate with and a guy that on our team is the heartbeat,' Bradley said. 'He's now the U.S. Open champion. That's a heavy burden to bear, but he's also -- that's also a great thing to have on your team.'
At some point next week, sitting on his sofa with the U.S. Open trophy beside him, that will be something nice for Spaun to quietly think about.