Emergency pharmacy visit by US Open champion JJ Spaun, just hours before his major victory.
Winning the US Open, JJ Spaun's Way:
JJ Spaun's US Open victory was nothing short of extraordinary. In the wee hours of the final day, Spaun made a mad dash to a local CVS, not for a dose of adrenaline, but for medication to help his two-year-old daughter, Violet, who was battling a stomach bug all night.
"I woke up at 3am, and Violet is vomiting everywhere," Spaun told reporters after his staggering two-shot triumph at Oakmont. The American dad had to juggle fatherly duties with golf, but he was up for the challenge.
The chaos of the morning wasn't the only hurdle Spaun had to overcome. He started the final round with five bogeys in the first six holes. But Spaun is no quitter. He dug deep, fought through the obstacles, and emerged victorious.
The final round was a nail-biter, with Spaun, Tyrrell Hatton, Adam Scott, Carlos Ortiz, and Viktor Hovland locked in a five-way tie midway through the back nine. In the end, Spaun edged out Bob MacIntyre for the win, a testament to his resilience and determination.
Spaun's victory came as a surprise, especially considering his relatively modest record on the PGA Tour before this tournament. The 34-year-old attributed his success to perseverance. "I've always battled through whatever it may be to kind of get to where I needed to be and get to what I wanted," he said.
Hatton, who finished fourth, was left fuming after a crucial stumble on the 17th hole. He felt the break cost him a better finish, possibly even a major championship victory. Hatton lamented, "If you’re going to miss the 17th with that pin, you have to miss it right. I did my bit. I feel like I was extremely unlucky to finish where it did..."
Insights:
- The US Open at Oakmont was a challenging course, with notoriously difficult bunkers and rough, making it particularly penal for errant shots.
- JJ Spaun's victory was his second on the PGA Tour, after an earlier win at the Shriners Children's Open in 2024.
- Tyrrell Hatton's frustrations extended beyond his performance on the 17th hole. He voiced dissatisfaction with the course setup, feeling it was overly penal and unpredictable.
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- Spaun's storybook victory comes after a dark period in his career, where he considered quitting the game altogether before staging a remarkable comeback in 2025.
- Hatton's runner-up finish was his best performance in a major championship to date. Despite the disappointing finish, he remains optimistic about his chances in future majors.
- The US Open at Oakmont was marked by various notable incidents, including a spectacular hole-in-one by Hovland on the par-3 15th during the second round, and a record-tying 63 by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the third round.
In the whirlwind of JJ Spaun's US Open victory, despite the challenging golf course and his own daughter's illness, he managed to find time to catch up on the latest sports news, particularly the progress of his favorite golf tournament. Despite his relatively modest record on the PGA Tour, Spaun's victory at Oakmont served as a testament to his unwavering resilience in the arena of sports.
