Breakfast Ball #75: J.J. Spauns a Miracle

The golf gods giveth and the golf gods taketh away. What a Sunday at the U.S. Open. For those waking up on the Eastern side of the Atlantic, you will find a condensed version of the final round here. It is well worth a watch.

In This Week’s Newsletter:

When the Golf Gods Finally Gave Back: J.J. Spaun’s Redemption at Oakmont

The U.S. Open challenges every facet of a golfer’s game - driving, approach play, short game, and putting all need to be razor sharp just to contend. But to win? That takes something even greater: unshakable mental toughness.

J.J. Spaun faced the sternest test of his resolve early in the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open - and came through it with the performance of his life.

Starting the day one shot behind overnight leader Sam Burns, J.J. Spaun stumbled early with a bogey on the opening hole. On the par-4 second, he followed a perfect drive with an approach that was right on line, until it struck the flagstick on the back-left portion of the green, spinning violently off the surface and rolling 49 yards away from the hole. He would leave the hole with another bogey.

On the third hole, Spaun’s tee shot was tracking toward the first cut of rough, but instead struck a bunker rake, deflecting into deep grass and settling into a brutal lie. He could only scrape out another bogey. The golf gods clearly weren’t on his side, and the frustration showed. Five bogeys in his first six holes left him four shots off the lead, his win probability plummeting to just 1.8%.

Then, as if the golf gods had called in a favour from Mother Nature, the heavens opened. Within minutes, the course became unplayable and play was suspended. It proved to be a turning point. The delay gave Spaun time to reset, both mentally and emotionally.

“I felt like I had a chance - a really good chance - to win the U.S. Open at the start of the day,” he said. “It just unraveled so quickly. But that break was actually the key to me winning this tournament.”

As players struggled with the wet conditions, Spaun stayed patient and made three pars after the restart: “As long as you just like are still there, you don't have to do anything crazy, especially at a U.S. Open.” A birdie on the 12th hole from 40 feet put JJ Spaun into a five-way tie for the lead.

The final pairing of Sam Burns and Adam Scott couldn’t keep pace, fading on the back nine with disappointing rounds of 78 and 79. As they slipped down the leaderboard, an unlikely contender surged from the west coast of Scotland. Bob MacIntyre, fueled by an eagle at the 4th and birdies on the 14th and 17th, pieced together a brilliant 68 to post the clubhouse lead at 1-over par.

J.J. Spaun approached the short par-4 17th tied for the lead with MacIntyre. Earlier this year, Spaun had finished in a tie for the lead with McIlroy at the Players Championship, but could not produce his best in the playoff and fell short. He wasn’t going to let that happen this time.

Spaun delivered the shot of his life (and my pick for shot of the week), blasting a 309-yard missile onto the green, just 18 feet from the hole. He calmly two-putted for birdie and headed to the 18th with a chance to win the U.S. Open.

After carving a low, controlled cut off the tee, he left himself 64 feet from the hole with his approach. But the golf gods, not yet done scripting drama, handed Spaun one final gift.

Viktor Hovland’s approach settled just a foot from Spaun’s ball, allowing him to watch Hovland’s putt roll across the green before his - a perfect preview. Spaun studied it closely.

Then, with history on the line, he buried a 64-foot bomb across the undulating 18th green at Oakmont - a walk-off birdie to seal a stunning two-shot victory and his first major title.

In eight previous major starts, J.J. Spaun had just one top-25 finish - a respectable showing at the 2022 Masters. In nine years on the PGA Tour, his lone win came at the Valero Texas Open, also in 2022. But on Sunday at Oakmont, despite his lack of experience on the big stage, he displayed grit, patience, and unwavering determination.

Spaun was pushed to the brink, battling both misfortune and pressure. Yet he stayed composed, kept believing, and was eventually rewarded. A reminder that perseverance in the face of adversity often earns its own kind of luck - and sometimes, a major championship.

Numbers of the Week from the US Open

1

Just one player finished under par, and he only did so thanks to that remarkable 64-foot putt on the final hole.

4

Europeans that finished top 10: Bob MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, and Jon Rahm.

+7

The score needed to make the cut. It was not an easy week out there.

12

Years since Adam Scott’s lone major win at the 2013 Masters. He has put together a career that deserves more than one major. At 44 years old, he will not have many more chances to be in the final pairing on Sunday at a major.

301

The length of the par-3 8th at Oakmont on Sunday. It eclipsed the record set by Oakmont in 2016 as the longest par-3 in U.S. Open history.

8

Years until the U.S. Open returns to Oakmont. 2033 here we come.

Other Results from the US Open:

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bob MacIntyre produced his best ever finish in a major in solo second. It was a fantastic final round performance that should fill the Scotsman with plenty of confidence as he comes back to defend his Scottish Open title in a few weeks

• 🇳🇴 Viktor Hovland watched on as J.J. Spaun holed the winning putt, but will be encouraged by his week as he posted a third place finish

  • Hovland: “To have a chance to win a major championship without my best stuff and not feeling very comfortable, it's super cool. So I'm going to take a lot of positives with me this week”

• 🇪🇸 Jon Rahm was just two shots off the lead after the first round, but rounds of 75 and 73 on Friday and Saturday ruled him out of contention. However, a bounce back 67 on Sunday gave him his second major top 10 in a row

• 🇩🇰 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen solidified his status as one of Europe’s rising stars with a T12 finish at his first U.S. Open

• 🤷‍♂️ Rory McIlroy almost missed the cut, but turned around his week with a final round 67 to post a T19 result

• 👎️ Notable Europeans to miss the cut included Shane Lowry, Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Sepp Straka

• 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler’s putter deserted him on Sunday and he seemed to struggle all week, but somehow still ended up in a tie for seventh

  • Xander Schauffele posted a T12 result

  • Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut

Coming up this week on Tour

• The PGA Tour has a signature event this week at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut

• Both LIV and the DPWT do not have an event next week

If you have any feedback for the newsletter or would like to get in touch, I would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] or message us on Twitter/X at @BlueHorizonGolf. Thank you for reading!