125th US Open – Oakmont GC, Pennsylvania:  Spaun survives US Open carnage to become a major championship winner

HE had two-putts to win from 65 feet on the final green at Oakmont, however JJ Spaun needed just one, with the unassuming American becoming a major champion in a sensational finish at the 125th US Open. 

Spaun recovered from a shaky start to his final round, birdieing the 12th to move into contention, then the 17th to take the outright lead, before the spectacular putt on the 18th green crowned what only a few hours earlier had seemed to be an unlikely winner. 

It was a fairytale ending to a tournament which saw five-inch rough, treacherous greens, then a Sunday thunderstorm and a waterlogged course punish a collection of the world’s best players – with Spaun, with only one previous tour victory from 235 starts, the last man standing. 

“Just to finish it off like that is just a dream,” Spaun said.

“You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor’s putt, you see crazy moments.

“To have my own moment like that at this championship, I’ll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.”  

Spaun began the final round in the second to last group, one shot behind Sam Burns and level on three-under par with Aussie Adam Scott. 

Five bogeys in his opening six holes represented a rocky start, however with almost the entire field also battling the challenging conditions and course set up, Spaun was still there or thereabouts when lightning and a heavy downpour forced a lengthy weather delay. 

Spaun returned, recharged and refocused, the long-range putt on 12 getting him started, another on the 14th kept the ball rolling, before the 34-year-old from Los Angeles would shine in the run home. 

With Burns and Scott falling by the wayside, LIV Golf stars Tyrrell Hatton and Carlos Ortiz moved into contention, only for slip ups on 15 and 17 respectively, stalling their charge. 

Aside from the eventual winner, Scot Robert MacIntryre was next best down the stretch, pushing Spaun all the way to the finishing line. 

Never seriously in the hunt but in a display of their class, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler would still manage to finish their week in a tie for seventh, while Rory McIlroy closed with a Sunday 67 to move up the leaderboard and into 19th. 

But it was Spaun, beaten in a playoff by McIlroy at the Players Championship earlier in the year, collecting the coveted US Open trophy, the US$4.2 million first place cheque and the long list of tournament exemptions that go with it. 

His 72-hole total of 279, one-under, left him as the only player to better par, and two ahead of MacIntryre who shot 68 on the final day. Viktor Hovland, Spaun’s playing partner in the last round, was third, one shot further back. 

Scott struggles on Sunday at Oakmont 

ADAM Scott teed off in the final group on Sunday at the US Open with an opportunity to add a second major championship title to his 2013 Masters triumph, however it wasn’t to be as the Queenslander slipped from contention over Oakmont’s challenging back nine. 

Despite making the turn three-over, Scott remained close enough if good enough, before bogies at 11, 14 and 15 and the final blow a double bogey at 16, killed off his chances. 

Scott tumbled to a tie for 12th, hitting just seven of 14 fairways and nine greens in regulation in an uncharacteristic final round display.

“I don’t know (what happened),” Scott said. “It was tough. It was bad conditions. No one really had a good score. I missed the fairway. I hadn’t done that all week really.”

Adding to his disappointment, in finishing 12th, Scott didn’t earn an exemption into the 2026 US Open and will need to play his way in should he hope to play his 100th consecutive major championship.