J. J. Spaun battled through the rain at an already very challenging course in Oakmont, to lift the 2025 U.S. Open trophy.
This was the 125th edition of the major competition and it is Spaun's first taste of major success.
It has been a nicely put together season for the now 2x PGA Tour winner, however with such a prestigious win under his belt will it give the 34-year-old motivation to win more.
Victory at Oakmont - How it unfolded:
After shooting a bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday, Spaun was the leader at the end of round one, sitting on a very nice score around Oakmont of -4.
Spaun bogeyed three of his final four holes on Friday to sit on -2 heading into the weekend.
Saturday’s round of 69 would stand Spaun in good stead for Sunday, with the dream still alive of lifting the U.S. Open Trophy on Sunday evening.
Spaun would start Sunday’s round one shot behind leader, Sam Burns.
The 2022 Valero Texas Open champion bogeyed five of the opening six holes on Sunday at Oakmont, shooting a +5 40 on the front nine. At this moment, there would have been some people out there who would have ruled him out.
There was a 99-minute rain-delay as play stopped at 21:01 BST and resumed at 22:40 BST, this gave Spaun the time to compose himself and give him the space to go out there and attack the back nine.
Sam Burns looked the man to beat until he showed fragility on hole 11, double bogeying the par four.
Burns then followed that up with a bogey on 12 meaning there was a five-way tie at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard as joining Burns on +1 was Adam Scott, Carlos Ortiz, J. J. Spaun and Tyrell Hatton.
Spaun looked to have settled down after getting birdie’s on hole 12 and 14, however a bogey on 15 would again give hope to the chasing pack.
With competition from other players disintegrating and Robert MacIntyre in the clubhouse at +1, a play-off with Spaun was looking possible however the eventual champion had other ideas.
An eagle putt on 17 would roll past the hole, leaving Spaun with a tap-in birdie. He took a one-shot lead heading to the tough par four 18th at Oakmont, knowing a par would be enough for victory.
Until Sunday evening, Spaun was +2 for the week on hole 18, bogeying it in round two and three.
A perfect drive split the fairway in two and he left his second shot over on the left side of the green, leaving a 64-foot putt for birdie knowing a par would be enough to win the 125th U.S. Open.
Why settle for a par though when you can end in style and that is exactly what J. J. Spaun did as he sank the putt from 64-foot to finish -1 for the week.
An emotional Spaun tossed his putter in the air and gathered with his family to celebrate his first major win.
Scotsman, Robert MacIntyre, finished in solo second, shooting a -2 68 on Sunday meaning he ended the U.S. Open two shots back on +1.
The wheel’s fell off for the final group on Sunday as Sam Burns and 2013 Masters winner, Adam Scott, shot +8 and +9 respectively on the final day.
The action from last night was sporting cinema and the drama lasted right up until the very end.
The cherry on top or the kick start to Spaun's career?
Up until yesterday's victory, Spaun had only one other win on the PGA Tour, this came in 2022 at the Valero Texas Open.
His stats on the PGA Tour make for decent reading however: 236 events played, 150 cuts made, 26 top 10 finishes, 12 top five finishes, runner up three times and now a 2x winner.
He came so close to gaining a first win of the season at TPC Sawgrass during THE PLAYERS Championship in March.
Spaun competed in his first and only ever play-off where he faced Grand Slam achiever Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman came out on top and went on to win the Masters just weeks after.
Spaun also had a T2 finish at the Cognizant Classic just a couple weeks prior to THE PLAYERS and opened his season up with a T3 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The strength that Spaun possessed this week at Oakmont was the ability to bounce back from adversity, something that will take him a long way in his career.
Most aspects of his game were sound throughout the week. He drove the ball precisely, hit iron shots with conviction and putted neatly.
In fact, the birdie putt that won him the title on the eighteenth was the longest putt made by anyone in the field during the week at the U.S. Open. It showed that he delivered when it mattered, something that he potentially learned from the play-off failure at Sawgrass.
A big talking point that has risen from Spaun's win this week is the USA's selection for the Ryder Cup which takes place at the Bethpage Black Course from the 25th-28th September 2025.
With his success at the U.S. Open, Spaun has moved up to third in the U.S. Ryder Cup rankings.
Joining him in the top six is Scottie Scheffler (Q), Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. The top six in the Ryder Cup rankings will automatically claim a spot in the team.
The Ryder Cup is another big stage where Spaun can show off his quality, if he manages to qualify.
However, even if Spaun does not automatically qualify, the feeling is that J. J. Spaun will be one of six wildcard picks that U.S. captain Keegan Bradley will select.
The LA born star sure does have the ability and grit to put his name onto more trophies in the future, as long as he believes he can get the job done and expresses confidence within his game.
