When it comes to major championships, we often anticipate thrilling displays of skill and poise, athletic artistry played out on manicured fairways. However, the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont was a different beast. J.J. Spaun didn’t just win; he survived—a gritty battle against the elements, the unforgiving course, and the tall tales that many players will tell for years to come.
As the rain began to fall with just six holes remaining, the leaderboard was a battlefield in its own right. Five players were tied at the top: Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Tyrrell Hatton, Carlos Ortiz, and our champion, J.J. Spaun. Just a stroke back were Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre, lurking like shadows in the damp.
MacIntyre found his stride, carding birdies on both the 14th and 17th to settle at 1-under. His moment came on the 18th, where he lined up a critical par putt and knocked it in, finishing at +1 and putting pressure on the leaders in the clubhouse. However, the track quickly claimed its victims.
Ortiz stumbled with a double bogey at 15, while Hovland struggled with a bogey on the same hole. Hatton faced his own troubles, falling victim to back-to-back bogeys on 17 and 18. In a cruel twist of fate, Burns saw his championship hopes dashed with an unfortunate break at 15, where his plea for relief from standing water went unheard. Forced to take a swing from a tricky lie, he ended his day with a double bogey.
Then, it was Scott’s turn. The former champion, seeking his first major title since 2013, found himself battling the rough time and again, unable to overcome the relentless challenge Oakmont posed.
But in the eye of this storm, J.J. Spaun seized his opportunity. With a shot that will be etched in his memory forever, he notched a birdie, stealing away with a one-stroke lead. When he stepped to the 18th hole, he had the chance to seal the deal, and in a twist fit for the grandest stage, Spaun sank a 64-foot putt for birdie.
“Just to finish it off like that is just a dream,” Spaun shared afterward, his emotions swelling as he reflected on his journey. “You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor’s putt, you see crazy moments. To have my own moment like that at this championship, I’ll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.”
This edition of the U.S. Open was quintessentially brutal, testing every ounce of nerve and skill the competitors possessed. Those unable to navigate the challenges of Oakmont—the unforgiving rough, the lightning-fast greens, and the swirling winds—will recall this championship as a lesson in humility, while Spaun will carry the memory of this remarkable victory with him forever.
The Oakmont Challenge
In major tournaments, it’s often the players who take center stage, but Oakmont played a vital role in this tournament’s narrative, proving itself as the true antagonist. Renowned for its tricky layout and history of punishing its challengers, Oakmont went toe-to-toe with some of the best in the game. The notorious features of the course, from the notoriously fast “greased-mercury” greens to the treacherous Church Pew bunkers, made it clear that this was not just a test of skill—it was a test of will.
Golf fans and players alike might have been overly optimistic, assuming that big hitters like Scottie Scheffler or Bryson DeChambeau could just overpower Oakmont’s storied past. The reality was far from that.
“When you’re in the fairway, there’s opportunity,” Scheffler pointedly mentioned, “but what’s so special about this place is pretty much every time you’re off the fairway it’s going to be very difficult for you to get the ball to the green.” It’s words like this that foreshadowed the challenges that were to unfold.
J.J. Spaun—a name that had not resonated among the giants of the game—burst onto the scene with a sun-soaked, bogey-free 66 on Thursday that put him at the forefront. “I kind of came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect,” he explained. “I’m just overly pleased with how I started the tournament.”
In stark contrast, many other players struggled under the pressure. Rory McIlroy didn’t escape unscathed, finishing his round at +4 and making a hasty exit without addressing the media. DeChambeau, frustrated with his own game, faced an unfortunate situation when an official intervened to spare him from a penalty.
“This golf course can come up and get you pretty quick,” he admitted. “It got me, and I wasn’t fully on my game.” Si Woo Kim echoed similar sentiments, candidly sharing, “Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m doing on the course.”
And as if the first round wasn’t enough, the drama only intensified on Friday when Spaun lost ground, yielding his lead to Burns, who finished the day at -3. DeChambeau’s struggles continued as he missed the cut by three strokes, while Phil Mickelson’s long-standing U.S. Open frustrations culminated in a heartbreaking final hole that cost him a chance to play over the weekend.
Then, on Saturday morning, the course turned into a spectacle all its own, as qualifier Philip Barbaree, caddied by his wife Chloe, produced a heartwarming moment. Knowing he needed a par on the 9th to stay in contention, he executed the shot of his life, becoming a fan-favorite story amid the chaos.
Survival of the Fittest
As the tournament progressed, the challenges only mounted. On Saturday, Burns and Spaun both hovered at -3, yet none of the usual contenders could maintain a competitive stance. Unexpectedly, golf’s biggest names faltered in the face of the Oakmont onslaught, as players like Scheffler, McIlroy, and Rahm found themselves unable to keep pace with those leading the charge.
“It takes a lot of patience,” Burns noted with profound clarity—a statement laden with irony as the storm clouds rolled back in on Sunday.
The final round began with a palpable sense of pressure as the leaders teetered on the edge, dealing with all the elements combined with the taxing golf course. Scott and Burns weren’t immune; early bogeys set the stage for a dramatic downward spiral. As the rain poured once more, chaos ensued, further complicating an already tense situation.
With Burns struggling to regain his composure and Scott battling his way back, Spaun sensed the drama unfolding. And while he trudged through his own challenges, he would ultimately emerge victorious, having transformed a potential heartbreak from earlier in the season into the pinnacle of triumph.
Just months after falling in a playoff to McIlroy, J.J. Spaun’s resilience and unwavering focus led him to claim major glory against the intricate tapestry of Oakmont. It’s a story that highlights not just survival, but the beauty of the game itself—finding triumph amid tumult, and overcoming the unshakeable grip of a legendary golf course.
