J.J. Spaun breaks via with dramatic end to win U.S. Open

OAKMONT, Pa. – When the digicam reduce to Bob MacIntyre within the convenience of Oakmont’s clubhouse, a unmarried phrase got here from his mouth. 

What extra may well be mentioned? J.J. Spaun, a small however mighty Californian who had misplaced in a playoff at The Players Championship previous this yr — in the end, a step forward, after years of missing self belief — had simply rolled in a 64-footer for an out of this world walk-off birdie to win the U.S. Open. 

The chants of “J.J., J.J.” rained down on Spaun as the true rain were falling via Sunday afternoon. A extend of an hour-and-a-half. A front-nine 40, after which Spaun, who won a tip from his trainer at the riding vary sooner than restarting — “Just a half-second faster over the putts” — went out and received the rattling factor. 

Spaun, who has only one victory at the PGA Tour on his resume, was the primary golfer since 2003 to shoot a 40 on his entrance 9 at a match and nonetheless come again and win. He made 4 birdies after getting back from a 96-minute climate extend, together with two in a row to complete his championship — simply the 5th winner within the championship’s historical past to head birdie-birdie to near out a victory. 

The first of the 2 ultimate birdies for Spaun, at the brief penultimate par-4, got here after most likely the force of his existence — leaving him simply 17 toes out for eagle. 

With the rain pelting down as soon as once more on 18, he put his force within the fairway however left his way greater than 60 toes away. Viktor Hovland, Spaun’s enjoying spouse at the day, on the other hand, hit his way outdoor of Spaun and gave him the learn and the velocity. 

Spaun stepped up and made the curling bomb — the longest putt made through any individual on any gap all week lengthy. Spaun made greater than 400 toes of putts for the week, essentially the most of any individual within the box. 

“That was unbelievable,” Hovland mentioned. “To watch him hole the putt on 12 down the hill there was unreal. And then he makes another one on 14 that was straight down the hill. And then the one on 18 — it’s just absolutely filthy there.” 

Spaun began the week in ultimate model, main after the primary day after a 4-under 66. Spaun was once paired with Canadian Taylor Pendrith for the primary two days and Pendrith mentioned he had made issues glance awfully simple in the market — simply discovering fairways and making putts. A fundamental, however cast technique. 

Spaun was once nonetheless ready to proper the send during the ultimate a part of the day — if he ended up tied, they’d have performed the two-hole playoff on Monday — and, impressively, Spaun was once the primary U.S. Open champion to start out a spherical with 3 holes over par. 

“After his start, it just looked like he was out of it immediately,” Hovland mentioned. “Everyone came back to the pack — I wasn’t expecting that really.” 

Spaun himself wasn’t in reality anticipating to be right here, Sunday evening on the U.S. Open with the trophy in hand.

Earlier within the yr, when he fell to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at The Players — which happened at the Monday of that week, too, with a rain-delayed ultimate spherical within the rearview replicate, Spaun admitted he could have been “done” with PGA Tour golfing final yr. He overlooked 10 of his first 15 cuts. He was once considering, he mentioned, in regards to the finish. 

“I was kind of thinking, ‘Hey, I played eight years out here, I’ve got a great family, I’ve won. So, it’s not the end of the world if this is how it ends for me,’” he mentioned.

It’s no longer, in fact, how issues ended. 

Spaun notched 4 top-10s to near out his 2024 marketing campaign after which started this yr with a tie for 3rd on the Sony Open. He had a tie for 2nd on the Cognizant Classic sooner than his playoff defeat at The Players, plus a tie for 6th on the Charles Schwab Challenge. Then got here his U.S. Open victory. 

“I just felt like you keep putting yourself in these positions, like eventually you’re going to tick one off,” Spaun mentioned. “I don’t put myself in this position often, or at all, for a major, that’s for sure. This is only my second U.S. Open. But all the close calls that I’ve had on the PGA Tour this year has just been really good experience to just never, never give up.”

Spaun had his daughters in tow from the again of the 18th inexperienced during the clubhouse party and into the evening. He didn’t know if they’d even make it to the route Sunday morning, as he mentioned his spouse was once up at 3 a.m. with considered one of his daughters, Violet, who was once vomiting because of a abdomen trojan horse, forcing Spaun to run to a drugstore in downtown Pittsburgh. He didn’t need to blame his tough get started at the vintage parenting scenario, however that didn’t no longer give a contribution to objects. He mentioned having that spread, and his complete circle of relatives with him this week, was once in truth a pleasant distraction. 

There was once nonetheless golfing to be performed, in fact, and one after the other one of the challengers fell away. Hovland bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 after the restart, plus No. 15. Adam Scott made a multitude of items after the restart, going 6 over for his ultimate 9 holes, whilst Sam Burns went 5 over. There had been some questions on route prerequisites, with Scott calling it “borderline unplayable,” however he was once fast to mention, smartly, everybody was once enjoying the similar route. 

MacIntyre, who completed by myself in 2nd, had the steadiest of ledgers after the ruin, going 3 beneath for his ultimate 10 holes Sunday. He was once in the home at 1 over, and it seemed the extra holes a golfer had left, the extra alternatives there have been for errors. 

Alas, Spaun did the exact opposite of everybody else and made the ones two ultimate birdies. One hand across the trophy, after which the opposite. 

“It’s definitely like a storybook, fairytale ending, kind of underdog fighting back, not giving up, never quitting,” Spaun mentioned. “With the rain and everything and then the putt, I mean, you couldn’t write a better story.”