In an improbable turn of events on the back nine on Sunday, JJ Spaun conquered Oakmont to win the U.S. Open by two shots over Robert MacIntyre.
For a while on Sunday, it looked like the lights were a little too bright for the American. He started his round with five bogeys on the first six holes to fall five shots off the lead, and all hope looked lost.
The back nine was a different story. Spaun played the second nine in 3-under par, with four birdies and one bogey, to finish at 1-under for the tournament. He was the only player in the field to shoot even par or better for the week.
Spaun made birdie on both Nos. 17 and 18 to get under par for the tournament, and his hot finish put him in very rare company.
He joined Ben Hogan as the only players to birdie the final two holes at Oakmont to win the U.S. Open, according to Justin Ray.
Both birdies will live forever in U.S. Open history as the cap to this epic second nine on Sunday in the rain and the mud at Oakmont.
Spaun stepped up to the drivable par-4 17th and hit a beautiful drive that raced right by the flagstick, leaving him with a medium-range putt for eagle. He comfortably two-putted to take the solo lead in the championship with one hole to go.
On No. 18, needing a par to win, he split the fairway off the tee before leaving his approach on the left side of the green. After getting a good read from Viktor Hovland, Spaun hit a perfect 64-footer for birdie right in the center of the cup to clinch the win.
This is a life-changing win for Spaun, one that almost surely gets him into the Ryder Cup this fall as well as all of the majors for the foreseeable future.
Any win at a major is fulfilling, but Spaun has an epic story to tell about his roller-coaster Sunday that finished with some of the highest highs in the sport.
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