JJ Spaun wins US Open: PGA Tour journeyman’s rise to ‘fairytale’ main glory and Ryder Cup rivalry | Golf Information

JJ Spaun thought-about calling time on his journeyman golf profession simply months earlier than his “fairytale ending” and life-changing main success on the US Open.

Spaun turned golf’s latest main champion with a two-shot victory at Oakmont Nation Membership, the place he recovered from a nightmare begin to salvage a two-over 72 and finish the week as the one participant beneath par, persevering with his exceptional rise within the males’s recreation.

The 34-year-old spent years grinding away on mini excursions earlier than breaking onto the PGA Tour and had beforehand didn’t construct on his breakthrough victory on the 2022 Valero Texas Open, narrowly managing to maintain maintain of his full-time standing final 12 months.

“Final 12 months in June I used to be wanting like I used to be going to lose my job, and that was once I had that second the place, if that is how I’m going out, I’d as effectively go down swinging,” Spaun stated. “That is form of the mantra I have been having all 12 months.”

The American retained his PGA Tour card for 2025 and had contended on a number of events this season with out reaching the winner’s circle, with one other alternative wanting set to go at Oakmont after 5 bogeys within the first six holes of his closing spherical left him 5 strokes off the lead.

Because the chasing pack frittered pictures away on a soggy golf course, following a prolonged climate delay, Spaun got here by way of the hardest take a look at by holing two long-range birdies on his again 9 to abruptly discover himself prime of the leaderboard.

After Bob MacIntyre produced his personal Sunday cost to set the clubhouse goal, Spaun adopted a two-putt birdie on the driveable seventeenth by capping off a exceptional victory with a 65-foot putt – the longest of the week – on the ultimate inexperienced to shut out his win in type.

“It is positively like a storybook, fairytale ending, form of underdog preventing again, not giving up, by no means quitting,” Spaun added. “With the rain and every little thing after which the putt, you could not write a greater story. I am simply so lucky to be on the receiving finish of that.

“Simply to complete it off like that’s only a dream. You watch different individuals do it. You see the Tiger [Woods] chip, you see Nick Taylor’s putt, you see loopy moments. To have my very own second like that at this championship, I will always remember this second for the remainder of my life.”

‘I have been persistently there’ – Spaun’s season forward of main glory

Spaun’s main success lifts him to a career-high of world No 8 – having began the 12 months outdoors of the world’s prime 100 – and as much as sixth within the FedExCup standings, leaving him prone to function on the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship for the primary time after a memorable marketing campaign.

He took a one-shot lead into the ultimate spherical of the Sony Open in January, the place a penultimate-hole bogey and shutting par on a par-five left him in tied-third and one shot outdoors of the play-off.

Spaun completed tied-second just a few weeks later on the Cognizant Traditional, having carded a bogey-free 66 on the ultimate day, earlier than a superb efficiency at The Gamers noticed him drag Rory McIlroy right into a Monday play-off.

He held a 54-hole lead at TPC Sawgrass and recovered from a mid-round wobble to birdie two of his final 4 holes, taking him into the play-off when McIlroy blew his late lead, however a triple-bogey on the second further gap ended his hopes.

Spaun additionally made robust begins with opening rounds of 66 and 67 respectively on the RBC Heritage and Truist Championship, each Signature Occasions on the PGA Tour, whereas he made a 66-68 begin on his approach to a tied-sixth end on the Charles Schwab Problem.

“I have been persistently proper there,” Spaun stated. “Everybody is aware of that the extra you place your self there, the higher you are going to have outcomes and the higher you are going to play, then ultimately flip a kind of shut calls right into a win.

“The Gamers was a form of spring into the self-belief as a result of it wasn’t like I faked it. You’ll be able to possibly faux it on the Sony and Cognizant or no matter, however to do this at The Gamers, a course the place I might by no means accomplished effectively traditionally…

“To go face to face with Rory on Sunday, after which the play-off was nice for my confidence. Sadly, I did not win, but it surely was nice for me to form of lean again on that have and know that I can carry out on the largest of levels and deal with it with the stress.”

Spaun prevails in historic Sunday

Spaun recorded six bogeys throughout his closing spherical, essentially the most by a US Open winner since Hale Irwin in 1979, whereas he turned the primary participant to card 40 in any 9 of a significant and win since Ernie Els’ 2002 success at The Open.

He had already made headlines earlier within the week by being the one participant to card a bogey-free spherical on his approach to the first-round lead, with Spaun utilizing the climate delay on the ultimate day to reset after what had already been an eventful Sunday.

“I used to be working to CVS (pharmacy) in downtown as a result of my daughter had a abdomen bug and was vomiting all evening lengthy,” Spaun admitted about his final-round prep. “My spouse was up at 3am and he or she’s like ‘Violet (daughter) is vomiting throughout, she will’t maintain something down’.

“It was form of a tough begin to the morning. I am not blaming that on my begin, but it surely form of match the mould of what was occurring, the chaos.

“As unhealthy as issues had been going, I simply nonetheless tried to simply commit to each shot. I attempted to simply proceed to dig deep. I have been doing it my complete life.

“I believe that is been the largest distinction this 12 months has been having the ability to try this. Luckily, I dug very deep on the again 9, and issues went my method, and right here we’re with the trophy.”

Extra to return? ‘He’ll be on that Ryder Cup staff’

The victory additionally jumps him to 3rd within the Ryder Cup qualification standings forward of this 12 months’s contest at Bethpage Black, placing him within the projected computerized qualification spots for a Group USA debut.

Keegan Bradley’s aspect might be trying to regain the trophy in opposition to Group Europe after shedding in Rome in 2023, with former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley backing Spaun to be a powerful addition to the American ranks.

“I stated I hope in some methods he does not win, as a result of he’ll be on that Ryder Cup staff,” McGinley stated on the Golf Channel. “That is how impressed I’m with him and I’ve watched him intently.

“The reactions of the opposite gamers tells you the way standard any individual is and for Tyrrell (Hatton) and Bob McIntyre, guys like that, who’re European keep in mind, to be genuinely completely satisfied for a man like that in his second tells you that he is a preferred man.

“Secondly, his golf swing, for me I might almost argue that it might be the perfect within the recreation. It is that good. I completely love how he swings it.”

Spaun could have taken time to show to the world – and himself – his true potential, however he has now delivered on the largest stage. Together with his {golfing} standing secured for years to return, he can proceed to push ahead.

Watch JJ Spaun in PGA Tour motion all through the 2025 season stay on Sky Sports activities. Get Sky Sports activities or stream no contract on NOW.