On a rain-affected Sunday at Oakmont Country Club, J.J. Spaun claimed an unlikely victory at the U.S. Open Championship, marking his first-ever major title.
Spaun, who finished at one under par, endured a challenging start to his final round, bogeying five of the first six holes. However, he recovered impressively, carding three birdies and just one more bogey over the remaining holes. At 34, he becomes the fifth-oldest winner of a major championship never to have finished in the top 20 of a major before, a statistic noted by ESPN Research.
With Robert MacIntyre setting the clubhouse lead at one over par, resulting in a temporary four-way tie at the summit, Spaun demonstrated resilience. He birdied the 17th hole to gain the outright lead and sealed his triumph with another birdie on the 18th. His win is historic, making him only the fifth player in the last century to win the U.S. Open without ever having previously made the cut at the tournament.
The decisive moment came on the 72nd hole, where Spaun sank a remarkable 64-foot, 5-inch birdie putt to clinch the U.S. Open title. This extraordinary stroke was the longest successful putt of over 60 feet recorded by any competitor throughout the entire tournament.
Adrian Whitmore