Sixty-three years ago, a guy called Jack Nicklaus secured the first victory of his professional career when he won the US Open at Oakmont in his 17th start as a pro. Despite the victory drought, however, he had been considered among the favourites. JJ Spaun had won before, at the Valero Open in Texas in 2022, but he was not considered among the likely candidates when the competitors assembled in Pittsburgh last week, probably not even when he held the first-round lead after a bogey-free four-under-par 66. After all, JJ was the chap who had pretty much gifted a playoff to Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship in March. But, whatever the auguries, ‘drought’ was the last word on anyone’s mind. The 34-year-old Southern Californian proved to be the man to reign amid the rain.
Beginning the final round a shot off the pace and in the second-last pairing, Spaun initially did not look like the man to beat. He was beating himself. He took five on each of the first five holes, only one of them a par. When he ended that sad sequence by making four at the 6th, that was yet another bogey. Incredibly, he would be three under for the remainder of the round. Having set off as dispiritingly as he had, it says much for him that he concluded his round with three threes, the final two being birdies.
“That was unbelievable,” said Viktor Hovand, who played with Spaun on Sunday. “After his start, it just looked like he was out of it.” But Spaun is resolute. Twelve months ago, having been misdiagnosed as to the type of diabetes he has, it looked as if he might lose his tour card, but he hung on to it. “I tried to dig deep,” he said on Sunday night. “I’ve been doing it my whole life.” After his 66 on Thursday, he had said: “Everyone knows that the more you put yourself [in contention], you are going to have better results. Eventually you will turn one of those close calls into a win.” Which is what he did at Oakmont.
The 54-hole leader, Sam Burns, subsided with a 78. Hovland finished third, a shot behind Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, whose closing 68 made him the only player in the final 17 pairings to better par on Sunday. The final moments of the championship were never-to-be-forgotten stuff. It looked as if we might be set for a playoff. Spaun was on the green of the par-four 18th in two, soaking wet in the returning rain which had already caused a weather delay, and facing a 64-foot putt: two putts to win, three to tie with MacIntyre. As you will know, he only needed the one. “Fair play,” said MacIntyre. “I almost got there but not quite.”
“About eight feet out,” Spaun said of that putt, “[I could see] it was like going right in. I was just in shock, disbelief that it went in and it was over.” It was a truly magnificent putt. Clearly the line was right, but so was the pace. If it hadn’t gone in, it would have been stiff. For Oakmont historians, it was somewhat reminiscent of the 1983 US Open. Then the rains caused the finish to be postponed until Monday. Larry Nelson’s first shot that morning was a 4-wood from the tee of the par-three 16th. His second shot was the 60-foot birdie putt which effectively sealed his triumph. Just as Spaun would do 42 years later, Nelson had ultimately enjoyed the experience of swinging in the rain.