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The final day of the US Open 2025 was filled with high drama. Oakmont showed its teeth, causing the leaders to stumble and bringing unexpected contenders back into play, like JJ Spaun. Although he started the final round in second place, he was five over par after just six holes, and most had already written him off. But then came a rain delay that changed everything.

JJ Spaun Wins US Open 2025 with Incredible Back Nine

After the weather delay, Spaun returned with a monster putt on hole 12, sinking a 12-meter birdie and turning his round around. He had another birdie chance on 13, missed it, but capitalized with a great approach on 14. While his competitors were struggling to create birdie opportunities, Spaun bounced back from a bogey and reached the 17th with an eagle chance – he had birdied the hole in every previous round. He didn’t make the five-meter eagle putt, but a birdie was enough to take sole possession of the lead ahead of Robert MacIntyre, who was already in the clubhouse. On 18, all Spaun needed to do was play it safe – get on the green and two-putt to avoid a Monday playoff. But Spaun didn’t want to win his first major title by playing it safe. He drained a 20-meter putt for birdie to claim his first major in spectacular fashion. JJ Spaun wins the US Open 2025 at one under par in just his second appearance at the tournament.

 

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“I thought it was a good thing having the delay,” the newly crowned champion said after the round. “It happened to me at the Players earlier this year where I was kind of struggling on the front nine. I had the lead going into Sunday, and we had a four-hour delay, I think. I ended up turning that round into a nice fight where I got myself into the playoff.”

He continued. “All I was thinking was – and even my whole team, my coach, my caddie, they were like, Oh, dude, this is exactly what we need. And it was. We went back out and capitalized on kind of — I changed my outfit. I’m like, I’m done wearing those clothes. I just needed to reset everything, kind of like start the whole routine over.”

Robert MacIntyre Finishes Second Despite Poor Start

Robert MacIntyre began the day seven shots off the lead, so the idea that he could win seemed far-fetched. “Obviously it didn’t get off to the best of starts,” he said.

“I was 2-over through 3 and then holed a lovely putt on 4, par-5 for eagle. That kind of settled me down. That got me into somewhat of a groove and back in the golf tournament.”

Then the back nine was just all about fighting. Obviously the rain delay. My previous rain delay comebacks haven’t been strong. Today was a day that I said to myself, Why not? Why not it be me today? When I was going round, and I just trusted myself, trusted my caddie Mike, trusted all the work that I’ve done, and we’re sitting here in the clubhouse nicely and just wait and see.”

He followed that up with a flawless back nine, carding two birdies to secure solo second place. And although you’d think the Scottish player would be used to this kind of weather, he says of himself that he’s “a fair-weather golfer now that I moved to the PGA Tour.”

While those two soared, Sam Burns and Adam Scott crashed. Between them, they shot a combined 17 over par on the final day, despite holding the lead early on.

Sam Burns in particular was a hot favorite at the start of the round, sitting at four under par. He lost three strokes on the front nine but still held the lead, even extending it to two shots with a birdie on 10. But then the momentum shifted, hard. A double bogey on 11 meant no player was under par anymore, and after a bogey on 12, Burns was tied with Adam Scott, opening the door for a dramatic showdown over the final nine holes. At that point, six players were within two shots, including Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland. Burns’ next double bogey on the 15th, after finding the bunker, effectively took him out of the title race.

Adam Scott fared no better after the rain delay. Following a bogey on 8, he played the back nine in six over par, including a double bogey on 16, where he struggled with the thick rough. Scott dropped to a tie for 12th, while Burns finished tied for 7th.

The first round of the US Open 2025 brought a sobering start for Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy began strongly with two birdies but was dragged down by four bogeys and a double bogey. DeChambeau struggled with a total of five bogeys. Both demonstrate how challenging the course is.

US Open 2025: Rory McIlroy’s strong start turns to disappointment

Rory McIlroy began his round at the US Open 2025 on the tenth hole and delivered an impressive opening. On the eleventh hole, he secured a well-earned birdie with a precise shot, followed by another strong moment on the twelfth, where he confidently sank the ball. These early successes raised hopes for a promising round. However, starting at the first hole, his momentum began to fade. A bogey on the first hole marked the initial setback, and he couldn’t avoid another bogey on the fourth. This trend continued with two more bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes. The low point came on the eighth hole, where he recorded a double bogey due to several poor chips. These mistakes dragged his overall score to +4, leaving him in a provisional tie for 62nd place at the end of his round.

Bryson DeChambeau battles the course

Bryson DeChambeau began his round at the US Open 2025 on the first hole and immediately faced a bogey on the par-four, setting a sobering tone. He secured a birdie on the third hole, but uncertainties persisted. Another birdie followed on the seventh, but it couldn’t solidify his momentum. The famous eighth hole, a 265-meter par-three, DeChambeau played to expectations with a par. On the twelfth hole, disaster struck: after two shots, he was behind the green on the 618 yard par-five and needed four more shots to hole out. His sixth shot was an eight-meter chip-in. Another bogey came on the thirteenth, followed by his fourth on the fourteenth. A fifth bogey on the eighteenth rounded out his opening. His score of +3 places him in a provisional tie for 49th.

Spaun surprises with lightning start

While big names like McIlroy, Scheffler, and DeChambeau are struggling, J.J. Spaun quietly climbs to the top of the leaderboard. The American gets off to a perfect start at the 2025 U.S. Open. No bogeys, four birdies – a round of 66 that almost feels surreal on this day. He’s also the only player in the early wave to remain bogey-free. Especially strong on Thursday: his short game. On the 10th, he chips in directly for birdie, and later he sinks multiple putts from beyond six feet. He shoots a 31 on his first nine holes – the best opening nine ever recorded at a U.S. Open held at Oakmont. And on the more difficult front nine, Spaun plays all holes at par – a rare balancing act on this course.

Spaun is benefitting from a short game tune-up he got just on Monday with a new coach. It seems to be paying off – he gains nearly four strokes on the field with his putting alone. The reward: the outright lead after round one.