The US Open at Oakmont lived up to all the hype. It was, as expected a true test, a beast of a course.
After four grueling days of wet fairways, slick greens, and thick, sticky, gnarly rough, an unlikely conqueror emerged — JJ Spaun.
You’d be excused if the name doesn’t ring a bell. If not for his playoff loss to Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship in March, I wouldn’t have any idea who he was when he sat atop the leaderboard after Day 1.
So who is this newly crowned major winner? Where did he come from? And what’s in his game that it had what it took to outlast the game’s very best at the very toughest of tests?
JJ Spaun is an American golfer of Filipino, Mexican, and European descent.
The California native went to San Diego State University and had some success on the minor tours. You could say that JJ paid his dues, playing on The PGA Tour Canada, Web.Com Tour and Korn Ferry Tour. His breakthrough victory came at the 2022 Valero Texas Open, and he recently finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
JJ Spaun plays a steady fade from his compact swing, ideal for finding fairways.
At the US Open, getting chances at birdie from the middle of the fairways was the key to Spaun’s triumph. He led the first round, gave a couple back during the second round, went 1-under in his third round, and was 2-over for his final round. That doesn’t sound like a score that wins you a major, but at brutal Oakmont, it was more than enough.
Patience, grit
JJ Spaun’s final round got off to a rough start, with bogeys on five of his first six holes. At 5-over through six, it seemed like he was out of contention. After his bogey on the 6th, he was 5 shots behind Sam Burns.
Fortunately, a weather delay halfway through the final round gave JJ a chance to reset. When play resumed after an almost two-hour rain delay, Spaun was heading to the back nine still 4 shots adrift but calm enough to give it a run.
The comeback began with a long-range birdie on the par-5 12th, followed by another on the 14th. While the leaders started tumbling, Spaun began his slow climb up the leaderboard.
By the time the last pair finished the 12th hole, there was a five-way tie for the lead. Burns, Scott, Spaun, Hatton and Ortiz were all at +1.
Difficult conditions meant bogeys or worse for everyone. Whoever held it together best would come out on top. By the time Spaun reached the reachable par-4 17th, he found himself with a chance to reclaim the outright lead.
What followed was likely the best drive of JJ Spaun’s career — finding the green in one on the par-4 17th and setting up a golden eagle opportunity. A two-putt birdie meant he came to the last needing par to win it all.
A good drive and a safe second still left Spaun with 64 feet to the hole. Given Oakmont’s sloping, slippery greens, a two-putt par was no guarantee.
As JJ Spaun lined up his birdie putt from over 60 feet away, no doubt aiming to leave himself a tap-in for the win, Robert MacIntyre watched from the TV at the scorers’ area, wondering if there would be a playoff.
But to everyone’s surprise, and probably to JJ’s, too, his putt went down a ridge and up another, lost pace, and took a big turn to the right, and into the cup. Even MacIntyre couldn’t help but applaud Spaun’s winning birdie putt, happy for his competitor who deserved the win.
After a week of intense battle, of horrendous breaks and unfair rulings in between amazing shots, only one man was left. JJ Spaun finished the 125th US Open as the only player under par.
Father before golfer
The US Open traditionally holds the final round on Father’s Day.
At the post-tournament press conference, JJ Spaun shared what countless fathers around the world experience — taking care of kids who are feeling under the weather.
On the eve of one of the toughest tests of his career, JJ wasn’t fast asleep, or getting a relaxing massage. He was at a pharmacy at 3 a.m. to get medicine for his daughter’s bum stomach. Hey, that’s what dads do.
But for some dads, winning majors is also part of the job.