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JJ Spaun endured an incredibly difficult weekend of golf to win the US Open. It was his first Major title yet, and his first win of 2025. It was Spaun's fifth top-five finish of the season as well.
Spaun's win came as a bit of a surprise. He was 120-1 to win the tournament before it teed off, per CBS Sports. His win also breaks a streak of similar Majors in golf reporter Daniel Rapaport's eyes.
The golf insider said that Spaun's win was totally unlike Scottie Scheffler's victory or Rory McIlroy's triumph.
"The last 6 majors have been about legacy," Rapaport wrote. "Where Rory, Scottie, Bryson, Xander rank. This was a completely different major. A lifelong dream realized, one that seemed so unlikely just a few years ago and a few hours ago. Bogeyed 5 of first 6! That gave me goosebumps."
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Scheffler, McIlroy and even Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau's wins helped their all-time legacy, but Spaun came in without much of a legacy at all. This created his legacy, but it didn't cement or redefine it.
Rapaport added that Spaun's win seemed highly unlikely at almost all times, including just before the US Open ended. Spaun bogeyed five of his first six holes on Sunday, but he rebounded to be the only player under par and win by two strokes over Tyrrell Hatton.
JJ Spaun reacts to stunning US Open-claiming putt
JJ Spaun had to two-putt from roughly 65 feet to win the US Open. He'd have parred the final hole and finished even-par for the round, something no one else did. That was all he needed, yet he chose to hole it for birdie regardless.
Spaun's improbable 64.5-foot putt rolled right in perfectly, dropping him below par and cementing his win. He said via ESPN:
"I knew, based [on] what the crowd was saying, that I felt like if I two-putted, I would probably win. But I didn't want to look because I didn't want to play defensive. I didn't want to do anything dumb, trying to protect a three-putt or something."
Even JJ Spaun couldn't believe the shot. He said:
"About 8 feet out, I kind of went up to the high side to see if it had a chance of going in, and it was like going right in. I was just in shock, disbelief that it went in and it was over."
Spaun shot four under in a historic round to open the tournament, but he wavered a bit. At times during the final round, he looked on the verge of a meltdown, but he weathered the storm, as a rain delay helped him turn things around.
