by JJ Spaun realized his dream of winning his first major golf title by capturing the US Open. Do it with a 65 -foot sneak putt on the last hole was pure magic.
Spaun observed four of the last seven holes to be won in Oakmont on Sunday, pulling two against 72 to defeat Robert Macintyre from Scotland by two strokes, winning the questions with his magnificent putt at the 72nd hole.
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“Just to finish as it is just a dream,” said Spaun. “You watch other people do it … You see crazy moments. To have my own moment like that during this championship, I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life.
Spaun led the 17th Green by four to install the tapping blank that put it forward to stay, joining a list of Birdie-Birdie finish to win the United States Open which includes Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Tom Watson and Jon Rahm.
“It’s really like a story book, an end of fairy tale, a kind of response from the outsiders, not to abandon, never to stop,” said Spaun. “With the rain and everything, then putt, you could not write a better story. I am so lucky to be at the reception of this.”
Spaun, whose only anterior victory of the PGA Tour was the Texas 2022 Open, was a finalist at the Cognizant Classic and Players Championship this year, losing a qualifying series against Rory McILroy in the second row.
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“I just felt that you continue to put yourself in these positions, as you will finally check one,” said Spaun.
Spaun made bogeys out of five of the first six holes, including the first three, and the four of the last seven for work.
“As bad as things were going on, I have always tried to get involved with each stroke,” said Spaun. “I tried to continue to dig deeply. I made it all my life.”
Spaun was resilient. In 2018, it was diagnosed with a type of diabetes, but the treatment was ineffective. In 2021, Spaun found that it had been poorly diagnosed and had another type of diabetes.
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Sunday morning, he made an early trip for medicine.
“My daughter had a stomach bug and vomited overnight,” said Spaun. “A sort of difficult start in the morning. I don’t blame that on my departure, but it somehow corresponds to the mold of what was going on, chaos.”
A 96 -minute storm period was crucial, allowing Spaun to reset herself after his miserable departure.
“I just needed to reset everything, a bit like starting all the routine,” said Spaun. “I felt like I was a very good chance of winning the United States Open at the start of the day. It simply happened very quickly.
“But this break was the key for me to win this tournament.”
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This and his 65 -foot stewed monster in the final hole.
“I was just in shock, the disbelief that it entered and that it was over,” said Spaun. “I couldn’t even believe what I witnessed when it entered.”
His game partner could not either, Viktor Hovland, the 14th row of Norway, which was satisfied with its best American finish in the third at 282.
“It was incredible,” said Hovland. “After his departure, it seemed to be immediately released. Everyone returned to the peloton.
“And then the one on 18 is absolutely dirty there.”
JS / RCW
