Spaun could have much more left in tank
OAKMONT – J.J. Spaun seemed composed and focused as he navigated the Oakmont Country Club course during the third round of the 125th U.S. Open Championship Saturday.
He was playing well if not spectacular with three birdies, two bogeys and 13 pars, including 12 pars in row at one point and went into Sunday’s final round just one stroke back of leader Sam Burns.
Spaun had been at or near the top of the leaderboard since day one so he had already dealt with the pressure that comes with being a contender at a major. Still, he had never been in this position before and the intensity would be ratcheted up even more.
And then his final round began and he crumbled. Five bogeys in his first six holes, that seemed to be too much adversity to overcome. Much more seasoned pros who started a final round in such fashion have never recovered, so the odds were heavily against Spaun turning his fortunes around at this point.
And then came the weather delay.
And everything changed.
You probably know the storybook ending by now. Spaun refocused, even changed his clothes to give himself a mental fresh start, then played the last seven holes at 3-under, including one of the most spectacular birdie-birdie finishes ever in a major.
The Putt gets top billing but just as impressive was his drive at No. 17. Spaun crushed his drive 309 feet onto the green and to within just under 18 feet of the hole. It was a stunning shot from the 34-year journeyman who had one career win under his belt, especially considering the circumstances. He two-putted to take a one-stroke lead.
With the golf world watching, including Robert MacIntyre on TV while sitting in the clubhouse at 1-over par, Spaun didn’t flinch on 18. Beautiful drive, approach onto the green and then the remarkable putt of 64 feet, 5 inches that disappeared into the cup for a championship-clinching birdie.
What followed was heart-warming. Spaun’s enthusiastic reaction and tears of joy, then hugging his wife and his two kids not long after were highly emotional moments.
He became a fan favorite as the week went on. Spaun, whose father John is of European descent and his mother Dollie is part Filipino and part Mexican, lives in Los Angeles and represents the United States which prompted fans to go into an impromptu chant of “U-S-A, U-S-A” in celebration after he finished his round.
All this begs the question: Is this the peak for Spaun?
There are naysayers out there who believe all the stars aligned for him to have this once-in-a-lifetime moment but those people must not have been watching earlier on Sunday when fate threw two bad breaks at Spaun with one of his shots striking a sand trap rake and another somehow hitting the flag so directly that it flung his ball back off the green.
The best break he received came before his putt on 18. Victor Hovland’s approach shot landed a bit further away but in the vicinity of Span’s ball. He took advantage by getting a good read while watching Hovland putt first and whatever he saw paid off.
The thought here is Spaun’s career is just starting to take off, that we’ll see more great golf from him even though he’s already in his mid-30s. He was already having his most successful season on tour so it’s not as if he came out of nowhere to win at Oakmont. He lost a playoff at the Players Championship to Rory McIlroy in March.
Spaun joined the PGA Tour in 2016 and claimed his first win on it in April of 2022 at the Valero Texas Open. He struggled at times after that but has been playing the best golf of his life this year.
There aren’t a ton of golfers who claimed their first major championship at 34 or older but one of them was Vijay Singh of Fiji who compares to Spaun a bit.
Singh’s first major championship came at the 1998 PGA Championship when he was 35 years old. It was his sixth Tour win. He would soar after that victory.
Singh went on to win an eye-opening 28 more PGA Tour events, including the 2000 Masters and the 2004 PGA Championship. Less than a month after the latter victory, Singh strolled into Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and claimed a 1-shot win over Stewart Cink at the final 84 Lumber Classic.
Singh racked up an amazing nine Tour victories in 2004 and even knocked Tiger Woods off his perch as the No. 1 golfer in the world at one point.
This isn’t suggesting Spaun is going to approach the lofty heights Singh ascended to.
The feeling here, though, watching him up close, noting his work ethic and his mental toughness, is that Spaun not only has years of great golf in front of him, but another major or two as well.
No matter what happens in the future, he created a few entirely unexpected and unforgettable moments at Oakmont on Sunday for golf fans everywhere.
Rob Burchianti is sports editor of the 蘑菇视频 and can be reached at rburchianti@heraldstandard.com.