OAKMONT, Pennsylvania. — J.J. Spaun drained an incredible 64-foot birdie putt that snaked across a sodden 18th green to win the US Open by two shots from Robert MacIntyre on Sunday (Monday in Manila) as the Californian claimed his first major after a chaotic final round at Oakmont Country Club.
Spaun needed only a par at the closing hole to avoid a Monday playoff but went one better, sinking the huge putt in the rain to win the year’s third major and erase the disappointment from his close call at The Players Championship in March.
“Just to finish it off like that is just a dream,” said Spaun, who closed with a two-over-par 72 that left him at one under for the week.
“To have my own moment like that at this championship, I’ll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.”
When the clinching putt dropped, Spaun tossed his putter, delivered a fist pump, hugged his caddie and then walked off the green with his two young daughters in tow on Father’s Day to celebrate a career-defining win.
“It was so cool to just have my whole family there on Father’s Day,” said Spaun. “It’s just incredible. I have no words to describe the moment and them being able to see me as the winner.”
Spaun reached the driveable par-four 17th hole level with Scotland’s MacIntyre, who was already in the clubhouse after a two-under 68, and delivered the shot of his life—a 309-yard strike that settled 17 feet from the cup.
The 34-year-old American sent his eagle putt past the hole but made the comebacker and then went on to secure the win in style at the 18th, where he said he did not look at the scoreboard so as not to alter his plan.
“I knew based off of, like, what the crowd was saying that I felt like if I two-putted I would probably win, but I didn’t want to look,” said Spaun. “I didn’t want to do anything dumb trying to protect a three-putt or something.”
The triumph comes three months after Spaun lost in a playoff to world No. 2 Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship, a defeat which was hard to take but left him knowing he could mix it with the game’s elite.
Spaun had led the way after the first round of the US Open where he managed the only bogey-free round of the day despite playing an Oakmont layout that is considered one of the toughest courses in the world.
In the final round he looked well out of contention after a carding five early bogeys but he never went away and as the leaders all failed to pull away he found himself back in the thick of things late on the back nine.
Viktor Hovland (73) finished three shots back in third place, while Cameron Young (70) and LIV Golf players Tyrrell Hatton (72) and Carlos Ortiz (73) finished a further shot back in a share of fourth place.
