OAKMONT, Pa. — The U.S. Open, the third major golf championship of the season, concluded with an unexpected champion in J.J. Spaun. He secured a dramatic victory with consecutive birdies on the closing two holes at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday.
Spaun was the only player to finish the tournament under par, carding a total of 1-under 279. He was the sole competitor who managed to navigate the challenging conditions, which were made even more difficult by rain and wind throughout the day.
Looking ahead, the final major of the year, The Open Championship, is set to take place at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland from July 17-20, just a month away.
Who are the early contenders for The Open? Will Spaun`s surprising win propel him to further success? And how are the teams shaping up for the upcoming Ryder Cup?
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ToggleWhat do you anticipate for J.J. Spaun for the rest of the season?
Last season, Spaun struggled significantly, missing the cut in 10 of his first 15 starts on the PGA Tour. His world ranking plummeted to 169th, and he faced the real possibility of losing his tour status.
He reflected on that difficult period, saying, `Last year in June I was looking like I was going to lose my job, and that was when I had that moment where, `If this is how I go out, I might as well go down swinging.“
However, Spaun turned his season around in the latter half of last summer and has been playing arguably the best golf of his career this year. He finished tied for second at the Cognizant Classic in February and reached a playoff against Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship on Monday. He had been close to securing a second career tour win, and he finally achieved it at one of the sport`s most challenging venues.
Spaun attributes his comeback to persistence. `I think it`s just perseverance,` he commented. `I`ve always kind of battled through whatever it may be to kind of get to where I needed to be and get to what I wanted. I`ve done this before. I`ve had slumps kind of at every level. I`ve always kind of, I went back and said, `You`ve done this before. You`ve been down before. You got out of it.` There`s kind of like a little pattern, so hopefully I don`t do that pattern again.`
Notably, fellow competitors weren`t entirely surprised by Spaun`s U.S. Open triumph, which speaks volumes. While his name might not be widely recognized by casual golf fans, he`s highly regarded among peers as one of the world`s premier ball-striking talents. His putting performance over the four days at Oakmont was exceptional and proved to be a crucial factor in his victory.
While J.J. Spaun`s U.S. Open win might initially appear unexpected, it truly highlights his growth as a player that he was able to outlast every other participant this week.
As his new coach, Josh Gregory, explained after the final round, Spaun could have been content with being a consistent PGA Tour player – he had already accumulated $17 million in career earnings before this event. Instead, Gregory noted, Spaun aspired to reach elite status.
`It`d be very easy to settle and say what I`m doing works,` Gregory stated. `To his credit, he said `I need to be better.“
For Spaun, who has consistently been an excellent ball-striker, this meant dedicating effort to improving his putting and chipping, areas where Gregory has provided assistance. His performance this week served as proof of the hard work invested and positions him well for the remainder of the season. Now, when facing courses that demand precise iron play, it appears Spaun can also depend on his ability to convert opportunities once he reaches the green.
While contending for the final major of the year might be a long shot, given Spaun`s lack of experience in The Open, I anticipate him being in contention at multiple upcoming PGA Tour events, including the Tour Championship.
Ryder Cup Insights After the First Three Majors?
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley received enthusiastic cheers of `USA! USA!` as he approached the 18th green at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday, a chant he`s likely to hear frequently over the next few months.
J.J. Spaun`s victory at the U.S. Open effectively secured his place on the team. He currently ranks third in the standings, trailing only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele. Bryson DeChambeau is in fourth, followed by Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. These six players are considered strong contenders to make the team automatically.
Beyond Spaun`s win, Russell Henley and Ben Griffin made significant progress in the standings at Oakmont. They tied for 10th place at 5 over par, moving them up to seventh and eighth respectively in the Ryder Cup points list.
The top six players based on points accumulated after the BMW Championship on August 17 will automatically earn a spot on the team. Captain Bradley will then select the remaining six players as captain`s picks.
I`m sure European captain Luke Donald was pleased to see Viktor Hovland once again come close to claiming his first major title, as well as Tyrrell Hatton and even Jon Rahm, who nearly made a late charge, performing well. All three finished within the top 10 and are almost certain to be part of the team at Bethpage, even if Rahm and Hovland are currently outside the top six in the European rankings.
One player who *is* inside the top six is Robert MacIntyre, whose impressive final round run to second place at Oakmont helped him achieve his best-ever finish in a major and elevated his name all the way to fourth in the Ryder Cup standings.
MacIntyre was seen as a potential long shot two years ago in Rome but proved his worth with a stellar 2-0-1 record. This season on the Tour, MacIntyre has four top-10 finishes, and such a strong result on a demanding course like Oakmont will undoubtedly bolster his case and put him in an excellent position to return to the team in September.
Initial Thoughts on The Open Championship?
Scottie Scheffler battled issues with his swing and putting throughout the 72 holes at Oakmont but still managed to tie for seventh place at 4 over, adding another top-10 major finish to his record. Even when not playing his absolute best, Scheffler remains superior to most competitors. I believe the list of golfers expected to contend at Royal Portrush must start with the three-time major champion.
Scheffler reflected on his Oakmont performance, stating, `My main takeaway is I battled as hard as I did this week. I was really proud mentally of how I was over the course of four days. I did a lot of things out there that could really kind of break a week, and I never really got that one good break that kind of propels you. I`d hit it this far off, and seemingly every time I did, I was punished pretty severely for it.`
Shane Lowry claimed the Claret Jug the last time The Open was hosted in Northern Ireland back in 2019, and I anticipate he will be among the favorites once again. Lowry struggled significantly in his second consecutive major appearance, missing the cut after rounds of 79 and 78.
Rory McIlroy will be seeking redemption after missing the cut at Royal Portrush five years ago. While he still faced some challenges with his driver at Oakmont, he finished with positive momentum after shooting a 3-under 67 on Sunday. I expect him to get his mental approach and swing in optimal condition before arriving in Northern Ireland.
McIlroy commented on his motivation, saying, `Look, if I can`t get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don`t know what can motivate me. Yeah, as I said, I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven`t been there the last few weeks. But as I said, getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again.`
How about the defending champion making another strong showing? With much of the focus on the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, Xander Schauffele quietly posted an under-par round to finish inside the top 12 at Oakmont.
Gradually, Schauffele`s game has been regaining major championship form after he missed some time earlier in the season due to a rib injury. In his last seven starts, Schauffele has recorded five top-15 finishes.
Schauffele spoke about his recovery, saying, `I`ve never been hurt before. So I think it was all kind of new. I felt like I was playing at a pretty high level. Then I got hurt. My expectations of what I knew I could do to where I was were very different, and accepting that was tough. I think that was sort of the biggest wake-up call for me coming back.`
It`s reasonable to conclude that Schauffele is nearly back to his best, just in time for the second major championship he won last season. The 31-year-old secured the Claret Jug at Troon last year with a magnificent Sunday performance, demonstrating his capability to excel not only on typical PGA Tour layouts but also on links courses under traditional links conditions. Portrush will present these elements next month, and Schauffele will have the advantage of knowing he has previously succeeded in such an environment.
Apart from Spaun, who were the standout performers at Oakmont?
Viktor Hovland has felt his swing has been inconsistent for much of the season, yet he managed to contend and finished third at 2 over. Hovland`s internal pursuit of perfection might slightly prevent him from joining the ranks of truly dominant golfers like Scheffler and Schauffele, but there`s little doubt about his immense talent. He possesses all the tools necessary to win multiple major championships.
Hovland expressed positivity despite his swing concerns, stating, `I keep progressing in the right direction, and to have a chance to win a major championship without my best stuff and not feeling very comfortable, it`s super cool. So I`m going to take a lot of positives with me this week.`
While Adam Scott would have preferred a better finish than his Sunday 9-over 79, he was firmly in contention until the conditions deteriorated significantly on the back nine. I had previously believed Scott`s chances of contending in majors were over, given he is 44 years old. However, this was his strongest performance in a major in quite some time, suggesting he might still have the capability to compete at the highest level again.
I`ll mention Robert MacIntyre again here. The Scotsman from Oban appeared composed amidst the chaotic conditions on Sunday and played the back nine at Oakmont bogey-free in 2-under par to briefly hold the clubhouse lead, nearly forcing a playoff with Spaun.
MacIntyre commented on his self-belief, saying, `I`m just a guy who believes. Today was a day that I said to myself, `Why not? Why not it be me today?“
Throughout the week, MacIntyre`s putting was outstanding, ranking fourth in strokes gained: putting. Despite a round of 74 on Friday, he remained in the tournament, having predicted an even-par winning score.
MacIntyre was almost right.
After finishing his round, he could only watch as Spaun sank the 64-foot birdie putt to secure the 1-under finishing score and the victory. Cameras captured MacIntyre in the scoring room, offering Spaun a heartfelt clap and a genuine `Wow.` It was a moment of sportsmanship that earned widespread praise and capped off a truly memorable week for MacIntyre.
He reflected on the experience of contending, stating, `It feels great. It`s what I`ve dreamed of as a kid, sitting back home watching all the majors. Yeah, it feels unbelievable.`
