OAKMONT, Pa. – When the digicam lower to Bob MacIntyre within the consolation of Oakmont’s clubhouse, a single phrase got here from his mouth.
What extra may very well be mentioned? J.J. Spaun, a small however mighty Californian who had misplaced in a playoff at The Gamers Championship earlier this 12 months — lastly, a breakthrough, after years of missing confidence — had simply rolled in a 64-footer for an unbelievable walk-off birdie to win the U.S. Open.
The chants of “J.J., J.J.” rained down on Spaun as the actual rain had been falling by means of Sunday afternoon. A delay of an hour-and-a-half. A front-nine 40, after which Spaun, who acquired a tip from his coach on the driving vary earlier than restarting — “Only a half-second sooner over the putts” — went out and received the rattling factor.
Spaun, who has only one victory on the PGA Tour on his resume, turned 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 coming back from a 96-minute climate delay, together with two in a row to complete his championship — simply the fifth winner within the championship’s historical past to go birdie-birdie to shut out a victory.
The primary of the 2 closing birdies for Spaun, on the quick penultimate par-4, got here after maybe the drive of his life — leaving him simply 17 ft out for eagle.
With the rain pelting down as soon as once more on 18, he put his drive within the fairway however left his method greater than 60 ft away. Viktor Hovland, Spaun’s enjoying accomplice on the day, nonetheless, hit his method outdoors of Spaun and gave him the learn and the pace.
Spaun stepped up and made the curling bomb — the longest putt made by anybody on any gap all week lengthy. Spaun made greater than 400 ft of putts for the week, essentially the most of anybody within the discipline.
“That was unbelievable,” Hovland mentioned. “To observe him gap the putt on 12 down the hill there was unreal. After which he makes one other one on 14 that was straight down the hill. After which the one on 18 — it’s simply completely filthy there.”
Spaun began the week in supreme trend, main after the primary day after a 4-under 66. Spaun was paired with Canadian Taylor Pendrith for the primary two days and Pendrith mentioned he had made issues look awfully straightforward on the market — simply discovering fairways and making putts. A fundamental, however strong technique.
Spaun was nonetheless in a position to proper the ship by means of 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 the primary U.S. Open champion to start a spherical with three holes over par.
“After his begin, it simply seemed like he was out of it instantly,” Hovland mentioned. “Everybody got here again to the pack — I wasn’t anticipating that actually.”
Spaun himself wasn’t actually anticipating to be right here, Sunday night time on the U.S. Open with the trophy in hand.
Earlier within the 12 months, when he fell to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at The Gamers — which befell on the Monday of that week, too, with a rain-delayed remaining spherical within the rearview mirror, Spaun admitted he could have been “completed” with PGA Tour golf final 12 months. He missed 10 of his first 15 cuts. He was pondering, he mentioned, concerning the finish.
“I used to be type of pondering, ‘Hey, I performed eight years out right here, I’ve bought a fantastic household, I’ve received. So, it’s not the top of the world if that is the way it ends for me,’” he mentioned.
It’s not, in fact, how issues ended.
Spaun notched 4 top-10s to shut out his 2024 marketing campaign after which started this 12 months with a tie for third on the Sony Open. He had a tie for second on the Cognizant Basic earlier than his playoff defeat at The Gamers, plus a tie for sixth on the Charles Schwab Problem. Then got here his U.S. Open victory.
“I simply felt such as you hold placing your self in these positions, like finally you are going to tick one off,” Spaun mentioned. “I do not put myself on this place usually, or in any respect, for a significant, that is for certain. That is solely my second U.S. Open. However all of the shut calls that I’ve had on the PGA Tour this 12 months has simply been actually good expertise to only by no means, by no means quit.”
Spaun had his daughters in tow from the again of the 18th inexperienced by means of the clubhouse celebration and into the night time. He didn’t know if they’d even make it to the course Sunday morning, as he mentioned his spouse was up at 3 a.m. with one in every of his daughters, Violet, who was vomiting because of a abdomen bug, forcing Spaun to run to a drugstore in downtown Pittsburgh. He didn’t need to blame his tough begin on the traditional parenting state of affairs, however that didn’t not contribute to issues. He mentioned having that unfold, and his entire household with him this week, was really a pleasant distraction.
There was nonetheless golf to be performed, in fact, and one after the other among the challengers fell away. Hovland bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 after the restart, plus No. 15. Adam Scott made a multitude of issues after the restart, going 6 over for his remaining 9 holes, whereas Sam Burns went 5 over. There have been some questions on course situations, with Scott calling it “borderline unplayable,” however he was fast to say, effectively, everybody was enjoying the identical course.
MacIntyre, who completed alone in second, had the steadiest of ledgers after the break, going 3 beneath for his remaining 10 holes Sunday. He was in the home at 1 over, and it appeared 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 these two closing birdies. One hand across the trophy, after which the opposite.
“It is undoubtedly like a storybook, fairytale ending, type of underdog combating again, not giving up, by no means quitting,” Spaun mentioned. “With the rain and the whole lot after which the putt, I imply, you could not write a greater story.”
