June 20,2025
J.J. Spaun delivers!
I don't believe J.J. Spaun will win another major championship, but he was the most deserving player to hoist the U.S. Open trophy this past week. The U.S. Open demands precise driving, hitting greens in regulation, and deft putting. Oakmont pushed those demands to their limits, challenging the world's finest to bring their absolute best just to be in contention. Not every U.S. Open course is this punishing, but to me, this is exactly what a U.S. Open should be.
Winning this championship takes consistency. Oakmont gave up a few low rounds—Sam Burns shot 65, J.J. Spaun a 66, seven players carded 67, another seven shot 68, and 18 players posted 69. That tells me the course wasn't impossible. But it also shows that no player could consistently control it over 72 holes. If Tiger Woods did not play in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach the tournament would have been decided in a play-off between Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez at three over par! Tiger won by 15 shots. There was no one at Oakmont with the talent or skill, at least this week, to handle the challenge this course presented like Tiger did at Pebble Beach.
That shouldn't diminish what Spaun accomplished. After his opening 66, he remained in the spotlight and played classic U.S. Open golf—fairways and greens—over the first three rounds. The final round started shakily. Nerves were expected, but Spaun also suffered a string of bad breaks early, going four over through 5 holes. He shot 40 on the front nine. Then, after a steady par at the tough 10th, play was suspended due to heavy rain. In hindsight, that break may have been just what he needed to regroup.
When play resumed, Spaun returned with a renewed focus and closed like a champion. With an hour left, the leaderboard was in constant flux. As many as six or seven players had a shot at the title. Spaun made an improbable 40-footer on 12 and a 25-footer on 14 to vault back into the mix. A closer look at the contenders revealed only one major winner still in the hunt—this was unfamiliar ground for all of them. Viktor Hovland had three golden chances to take control, but couldn't hit short wedges inside 40 feet. Tyrrell Hatton and Carlos Ortiz faltered under pressure. Sam Burns and Adam Scott hit errant shots late and faded. Only Robert MacIntyre rose to the moment, playing the final 10 holes in three under.
Then came the defining sequence. With both Spaun and MacIntyre at one over par, MacIntyre parred the 18th while Spaun stepped onto the 17th tee. He then hit the shot of the tournament—a 317-yard drive to 15 feet on the short par-4. A routine two-putt gave him a one-shot lead heading to 18, which had been playing nearly a full stroke over par. And that's where Spaun sealed it. A fairway finding drive, a controlled iron to 60 feet, and then—clutch—he drained the putt. It would have been a tap-in if it missed, but it didn't. J.J. Spaun is a US Open champion. It wasn't luck, but the result of steady ball striking and mental toughness. That's what Oakmont required and the champion delivered.
