If you told someone on Thursday morning that J.J. Spaun would be lifting the U.S. Open trophy by Sunday night, they’d have checked your water bottle for something herbal. But that’s exactly what happened. He shot a final round 72, stumbled through the front nine like he was playing with oven mitts on, and then drained a 64-foot birdie putt on 18 like it was a tap-in at pitch-and-putt. Cue pandemonium.
💥 Burns Burns Out
Sam Burns, leading overnight and looking like the poster boy for composure, proceeded to absolutely fall apart. He should change his first name to Second-degree, as he took a flame thrower to himself. A horror show 78 (+8) that had everything; shanks, lip-outs, 30-yard wide misses, and a thousand-yard stare. He dropped like a rock to T7 and will now be haunted by Oakmont’s greens in his dreams for decades.
🧨 The Front Nine: Pure Chaos
Spaun started Sunday with a one-shot deficit and looked like he was doing his best to gift wrap the trophy for someone else. Bogey-bogey-double to start, and by the turn, he was +4 for the round, looking like a man trying to finish his round without being noticed.
But no one else wanted it either.
MacIntyre hung around but never really threatened.
Hovland made birdie on 11 then bogeyed the next two just to stay on brand.
Adam Scott blinked early and was never in it.
🚀 The Back Nine: From Bang Average to Brilliant
Then Spaun suddenly remembered how to play golf.
Birdie on 14.
Up-and-down saves on 15 and 16.
Clutch birdie on 17 to tie the lead.
And then, the miracle: 64 feet of pure, unfiltered filth on 18 for birdie. His caddie nearly exploded. The crowd lost its collective mind. Even the Oakmont bunkers raised an eyebrow. Good for him, he’s steadily been elevating his game over the past yeaer or so and this is the culmination of that good work. A spot on the Ryder Cup might be next.
💀 Body Count
Oakmont claimed souls on Sunday:
Scheffler finished T12 after never getting it going.
Rory shot 75 and might now consider a move to darts.
Rahm was last seen interrogating his putter in Spanish.
The rest? Chewed up and spit out like last week’s hot dogs.
📊 Final Scores of Note:
| Player | Final Round | Total |
|---|---|---|
| J.J. Spaun | 72 (E) | –1 |
| Robert MacIntyre | 68 (–2) | +1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 71 (+1) | +2 |
| Sam Burns | 78 (+8) | +4 |
| Adam Scott | 74 (+4) | +5 |
🎯 What It All Means
J.J. Spaun is a major champion. Let that marinate.
Oakmont wins again. Only one man under par after four days.
Burns may need a sabbatical. Or a hug.
Golf remains chaos in polo shirts. Just how we like it.
Day Four was not for the faint-hearted, but it gave us drama, disaster, and the kind of bonkers finish only golf can deliver. J.J. Spaun – take a bow, lad.
