Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport senior journalist
5 hours ago
US Open final leaderboard
-1 Spaun (US); +1 MacIntyre (Sco); +2 Hovland (Nor); +3 Hatton (Eng); Young (US), Ortiz (Mex), +4 Burns (US), Scheffler (US) Rahm (Spa); +5 Griffin (US), Henley (US)
Selected others: +6 Scott (Aus), Schauffele (US), Koepka (US); +7 McIlroy (NI); +8 Wallace (Eng), Spieth (US), +9 Rai (Eng); +11 Fitzpatrick (Eng); +15 Canter (Eng)
American JJ Spaun overcame a flooded golf course, a 90-minute rain delay and the brilliance of Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre to win the US Open on a chaotic final day at Oakmont Country Club.
The 34-year-old, who needed a par on the last to win his first major, holed an incredible 64-foot birdie putt to win by two on one under.
MacIntyre, watching on a television, applauded and simply mouthed “wow” when the putt dropped. It was a terrific gesture at the end of an enthralling final round.
The 28-year-old from Oban had gone close to breaking his own major duck at a course that is generally regarded as the toughest in the world.
He started the day seven off the lead and was the only player from the overnight top-10 to break par in the final round. His sensational two-under 68 set the clubhouse target at one over par.
But Spaun birdied the 17th to get to level par and then produced his moment of magic on the final green to send the drenched masses surround the putting surface wild.
It was quite the turnaround by the Californian, who started the round one shot behind overnight leader Sam Burns, and bogeyed five of his first six holes to seemingly drop out of contention.
However, after torrential rain stopped play for an hour and a half, Spaun regained his composure to follow a front nine of 40 shots with a back nine of 32.
“I never thought I would be here holding this trophy,” he said.
“I’ve always had aspirations and dreams but a few months ago I didn’t know what my ceiling was and how good I could be.”
While Spaun was climbing the leaderboard, the ragged play of others added to the drama.
Burns, who had led after rounds two and three, drowned in the rain, alongside playing partner Adam Scott. They endured nightmare rounds of eight and nine over par respectively to finish well off the pace.
At one stage on the back nine, five players shared the lead at one over par, including England’s Tyrrell Hatton who played outstandingly for 16 holes but stumbled at the 17th and finished four back.
Four bogeys on the front nine derailed Norway’s Viktor Hovland but a level-par closing nine saw him home in 73 to claim third place on three over.
“I missed three five-foot putts and you can’t be doing that if you’re going to win a major championship,” said the European Ryder Cup player.
Spaun grows tall at rain-soaked Oakmont
Back in March, JJ Spaun was inches from landing a 31-foot birdie on the 18th hole to beat Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship. He was then defeated by the Northern Irishman in a play-off.
At the US Open, he went one better – from twice the distance – and he celebrated wildly before succumbing to his tears.
The putt ensured he was the only player to navigate 72 holes at brutal Oakmont Country Club under par – a fitting finish for the sole man to shoot a bogey-free round this week with his stunning 66 on Thursday.
And yet his final round was littered with bad breaks – and bogeys.
A horror start seemed to have cost him his chance at a career-changing title – his approach at the second hitting the flagpole before rolling 50 yards away, and then bouncing his ball off a rake at the fourth on his way to five bogeys in six holes.
But, while almost everyone else was speeding down the leaderboard, he showed remarkable composure after the rain break to haul himself back into contention.
Birdie putts from 40 and 22 feet lifted him into the lead and, after a bogey at the 15th, his stellar tee shot that found the green at the par-four 17th helped him secure another birdie. And the second best putter in the field by strokes gained sealed matters in style at the last.
“The weather delay changed the whole vibe for the day,” he said.
“A similar thing happened to me at the Players and I kind of leaned on that whole experience.”
Brilliant MacIntyre falls short as Hatton curses ‘bad luck’
Spaun’s birdie putt ended MacIntyre’s chances of winning but this stunning performance serves notice of his own major ambitions.
“I’m a guy that believes,” he said. “Having a chance to win a major is what I dreamed of as a kid.”
MacIntyre began the day at three over par and bogeyed two of his first three holes to slip to five over, nine shots adrift of the lead.
However, with Oakmont and the weather wreaking havoc on the scorecards of the leading groups, he began to climb the standings.
A 60-foot eagle at the fourth erased the early damage and, after play returned, he made further birdies at the ninth, 14th and 17th to set the clubhouse lead at one over par, a score good enough for solo second.
Before this tournament he was 11th in the qualification stakes for Europe’s Ryder Cup defence against the United States at the similarly fearsome Bethpage Black in September, a position that will now improve.
His game also looks in good shape for next month’s defence of his 2024 Scottish Open title and a tilt at the following week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Hatton, meanwhile, could not hide his frustration after his excellent championship was undone by finding the downslope of thick rough at 17.
“What happened on 17 is going to hurt a lot for a long time,” he said. “It was the first time I’ve been in contention in a major, and that was exciting.
“Unfortunately, I feel like through a bit of bad luck I had momentum taken away from me and it ultimately ended up not being my day.”
A bogey-bogey finish meant Hatton ended three over, one ahead of world number one Scottie Scheffler – who never threatened to seriously close the gap – and Jon Rahm who shot a three-under 67, the joint best round of the day.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy warmed up for his homecoming Open at Portrush by matching that 67 to finish at seven over par.
