By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
After birding the final two holes, J.J. Spaun wins the 125th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club. Spaun drilled an impressive 64-foot walk-off putt to win the event.
You will learn about him now if you didn’t know Spaun before the U.S. Open. No one expected this kind of performance from him or other players who thrived in the US Open, such as Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Tyrrell Hatton, and Carlos Ortiz, who were all tied at some point.
Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre were also in the running to win the US Open.
It’s an incredible and unforgettable Father’s Day for Spaun and his family, who were there to celebrate with him after he made the 64-foot putt.
Spaun had been playing great since the beginning of the tournament. His scores by each round were 66-72-69-72. Spaun put on a show. After bogeying five of his first six holes, he redeemed himself and had to deal with the rain delay.
“It was all mental,” Spaun said after the event. “Same thing happened to me at The Players this year, where he had a 3-4 rain delay, and I was struggling at the front nine and lost the lead pretty quickly. But the reset after the break, catching Rory for the playoffs. We heard the horn. This is exactly what we want.”
Spaun was resilient, and it’s a feel-good victory after a tough defeat to Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship. Spaun redeemed himself and overcame the challenges.
Spaun has worked for this his entire life, and the opportunities will open up even bigger after this victory.
“I grew up watching Golf as a kid,” Spaun said. “I wanted to play Golf. I love Golf. It was a passion for me growing up. I always played with my parents growing up. One thing led to another. It wasn’t groomed for me to become a professional golfer. I didn’t get out through the academies. I played local stuff. I did qualify for my first big USGA event. I did that two times when I was 16 and 17, and that’s when I realized my potential.”
It’s Spaun’s fifth career professional win in addition to his second PGA Tour win and first major championship. Spaun is also the fifth U.S. Open champion to finish birdie-birdie in regulation. Jon Rahm was the last golfer to do this in 2021.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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