Chaos at Oakmont was the wish for a large contingent of golf fans heading into the week — and on Sunday, they got their wish.
What started as a run-of-the-mill U.S. Open final round — where pars were celebrated and bogeys shrugged away — turned into a slugfest in the elements on Sunday afternoon. And after a six-hour heavyweight bout, J.J. Spaun was the name alone atop the leaderboard.
“I never thought I would be here holding this trophy,” Spaun said. “I’ve always had aspirations and dreams, but like I said a few months ago, I never knew what my ceiling was.”
It turns out that ceiling is U.S. Open champion.
If you looked at the final standings of the 125th U.S. Open, you might be tricked into thinking that nearly every contender lost their game prior to the final round. Of those who teed off in the final three pairings, none posted a score better than two-over in the final round. For much of the day, the leaders were in reverse.
What those numbers don’t tell you is the war that each contender waged to post that score. Not only did players have to battle Henry C. Fownes’ diabolical design, they also had to contend with Mother Nature. And on Sunday, Mother Nature was a fickle beast.
As the leaders neared the turn, a massive storm rolled through western Pennsylvania, soaking the course and forcing a stoppage of play. Once play resumed some 90 minutes later, Oakmont showed its teeth.
J.J. Spaun didn’t get the memo.
While contenders like Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Carlos Ortiz sputtered after the restart, Spaun soared. Prior to the stoppage, the 34-year-old was five over on the round — including a back-breaking 40 on his front nine — but after the stoppage, he made four birdies and just one bogey to post one-under par for the championship.
It would be enough to etch his name into history.
“The weather delay we had kind of just changed the whole vibe of the day,” Spaun said. “[I] bounced back and fought really hard on the back.”
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While Spaun handled the adverse weather conditions with a calm demeanor befitting a major champ, those around him on the leaderboard faltered. Burns, the 54-hole leader, made two double bogeys to sink his chances, while his playing partner Scott made a mess of his own. Ortiz and Hatton could not sustain their momentum, while Hovland made just enough mistakes to fall out of the fight.
By late in the day, there was just one man standing between Spaun and the trophy — Robert MacIntyre. With a 69-68 weekend, the Scotsman posted one over to take the clubhouse lead as the leaders played their final holes.
Spaun would make sure there would be no need for a playoff.
After birdieing the penultimate hole to take the outright lead, Spaun needed just par to clinch the title. He did one better, rolling in a 65-footer for birdie to finish off a two-shot victory. The putt was the longest made by anyone in the field in the final round.
