Oakmont, Pennsylvania – As if the course wasn`t formidable enough, a severe storm swept over Oakmont, turning one of golf`s most rigorous tests into an even greater challenge for the world`s elite players. When the heavy rain arrived on Sunday, transforming fairways into waterways, it felt like adding insult to injury for those vying for a major championship.
Play was suspended at 4:01 p.m. The 18th green was submerged, unrecognizable beneath the rushing water, and competitors were removed from the course. During the delay, some players sought food or contacted loved ones. Robert MacIntyre resorted to using an air conditioning unit to dry his shirt. Spectators huddled under umbrellas or sought sparse shelter on the 191-acre property, notably devoid of many trees.
Shortly thereafter, Oakmont`s grounds crew emerged, armed with squeegees, working to clear water from the playing surfaces. When the rain finally subsided and play resumed at 5:40 p.m., the leaders quickly realized the course had fundamentally changed.
“Once the fairways were soaked, controlling the golf ball became extremely difficult,” commented Adam Scott. “It was on the verge of being unplayable, but everyone had to cope with it.”
Despite the efforts with squeegees, the fairways remained saturated. Tee shots landed and either stopped abruptly or even rolled backward. Any contact with the ball, regardless of the club used, resulted in a splash. Even Scottie Scheffler found it hard to predict where the ball would go after striking it. The already challenging layout became an even more profound examination of patience and mental fortitude.
“Waiting for squeegeeing is frustrating, and you lose all rhythm out there,” said Cameron Young, who finished fourth. “There are wet areas, and you`re basically guessing. There`s not much you can do. You wait for them to clear spots, but with the rain still falling, water collects so quickly, you`re almost trying to hack it through puddles and see what happens.”
“It`s the final round of the U.S. Open, one of the toughest setups imaginable, and the conditions were the most severe of the week,” Scott added. “Thank goodness it wasn`t like this all week.”
For a few holes after the suspension, the sun briefly peeked through, offering a glimmer of hope. But as the final group reached the 10th hole, the rain returned. The tournament shifted from a contest of who could charge ahead to who could simply endure. Even Justin Thomas, who had missed the cut, commented on social media that the course seemed “a little questionable to play.”
“It was pushing the limits [of unplayable], but it was manageable,” stated Viktor Hovland. “The conditions turned incredibly tough, and this golf course is just a beast. It was a real grind.”
While many players struggled to regain their momentum after the delay, this arduous challenge proved to be precisely what J.J. Spaun needed to emerge as one of the most improbable major champions in recent memory.
“I just kept trying to dig deep,” Spaun remarked. “It`s something I`ve been doing my entire life.”
He began the day just one shot behind the leader, but early promise quickly dissolved into disappointment. He bogeyed five of his first six holes. On the second, his ball hit the flagstick and spun off the green. On the third, his tee shot bounced into a difficult lie in the rough. By the turn, his score was 40, leaving him a three-shot deficit, and it felt like his chance had slipped away. Then, the rain arrived.
“The best thing that happened was the reset,” commented Spaun`s coach, Josh Gregory.
“At the start of the day, I felt like I had a real shot, a very good chance to win the U.S. Open. It just fell apart so quickly,” Spaun admitted. “But that break was actually the key to me winning this tournament.”
Spaun`s career trajectory has often been defined by surpassing expectations. He was never considered a top prospect or a future star. As he put it Sunday, he was never “trained” to be a professional golfer, nor was winning a major ever considered likely. He achieved his first PGA Tour victory at age 31 and, until this year, was largely seen as a journeyman player focused primarily on retaining his tour card.
This season, however, Spaun has elevated his game significantly. Coming into the week, he was ranked 15th in the world and gained notable attention when he finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Players Championship.
“He was right there,” Gregory stated. “I think that experience proved to him, `Hey, I can do this. I can compete with the best in the world. I can be a contender. I can win a major championship.`”
Having recently faced disappointment in high-pressure situations, Spaun appeared remarkably composed despite the bad breaks and challenging weather on Sunday. On a day that demanded more than just raw talent, Spaun knew where to draw strength.
“I believe it simply comes down to perseverance,” Spaun said. “I`ve always had to battle through whatever challenges came my way to get to where I aspired to be and achieve what I wanted.”
As the final groups approached the finishing stretch, the rain intensified once more. A strong breeze whipped the precipitation across the course from west to east, presenting Spaun with one final obstacle: Oakmont`s infamous 18th hole in another downpour.
Nine years prior, Dustin Johnson stood on that same tee, needing to close out his first major win, and played the hole flawlessly – a perfect drive, a precise approach to the green, followed by a short birdie putt to conquer Oakmont.
On Sunday, Spaun found the center of the fairway. His approach landed on the green. Then, shielded by an umbrella held by his caddie, he meticulously read his 64-foot putt. He needed just a par to clinch his first major title.
Throughout the week, the consensus among players was that an even-par score for the tournament might well be enough to win the trophy. Spaun stood on the brink of achieving just that. But as Oakmont unleashed one final, exhausting challenge, Spaun met it head-on.
“I didn`t want to play defensively,” Spaun explained.
The putt began its journey across the notoriously undulating green, a surface that has frustrated countless players over its 124-year history, tracking left-to-right toward the iconic Sunday hole location. It rolled perfectly into the dead center of the cup. A birdie.
“Are you serious?” his caddie, Mark Carens, exclaimed as they walked towards the clubhouse. “What the f— just happened?”
Spaun wasn`t merely the last competitor standing; he was the only one to finish the tournament under par, at 1-under. That single red number beside his name will be etched into history. For Spaun, it serves as undeniable proof of his talent, his resilience, and his ability to overcome everything the challenging course, the unpredictable weather, and his own mental hurdles threw at him over 72 holes.
“He`s an overachiever, a true grinder,” Gregory affirmed. “This win should conclusively validate to him that he belongs among the best players in the world.”
For Oakmont, finishing at 1-under might be a mixed result; the course didn`t produce the over-par winning score its custodians perhaps desired. However, over 72 demanding holes, culminating in 18 brutal ones on Sunday, it once again showcased its pedigree by crowning a truly deserving champion.
Jasper Hawthorne