Three Thoughts - 2025 US Open Oakmont
The grinding test of golf put everyone over par but JJ Spaun - We saw his moment.
My claim – however true it might actually be – is that if you give a back nine of a golf major on a Sunday afternoon your attention, you won’t regret it.
I believe that was verified again at the 2025 U.S. Open, as J.J. Spaun used a rain delay to retrench and refocus his one shining moment opportunity, and weathered all of the storms to become a champion from the original 150-to-1 odds starting position.
It was an incredible finish at Oakmont, and one that lived up to the hype of making the U.S. Open the ultimate test in golf.
The final leaderboard did not reflect the superheroes of the sport, but after four straight majors of Scottie–Xander–Bryson–Xander–Rory–Scottie, it was probably time for someone a bit down the roster to emerge—and the guy ranked 164th in 2024 became that guy.
J.J. Spaun was the Thursday leader with a bogey-free 66, and he was the Sunday winner despite five bogeys in his first six holes. He demonstrated resolve and determination at incredibly high levels after the breaks and conditions tried to push him around. He passed the test at a level the other 155 players could not and is a proper champion of this stiffest of tests.
What a brilliant, life-changing moment for a player who is the ultimate late bloomer.
And these are my U.S. Open Three Thoughts:
I thought Sunday’s round for Spaun will always stick with me in that he showed us that you have to have a calm demeanor, a short memory, and a resolve that you aren’t going to pack it in on a bad day. Dig in, keep perspective, and maybe even welcome a rain delay that will allow you to change into a clean shirt, calm your nerves, find that you are still in it on the leaderboard, and keep grinding. He lived a lifetime in one afternoon and that was probably also a metaphor for his career.