JJ Spaun collected his first-ever major championship at the U.S. Open on Sunday, firing a 1-under-par 279 “to fend off a half-dozen challengers on what became a rock fight of a final round” at Oakmont Country Club. Some “might look at the U.S. Open and consider it a disappointment because there weren’t bigger names at the top.” Scottie Scheffler “never really made a move,” and “neither did Jon Rahm." Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy’s “biggest swing was the one he took at the media who cover him,” and we “didn’t hear much” from Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth or a few other recognizable names all week. However, “that didn’t detract from the quality of competition” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/15). Spaun’s win at the U.S. Open netted him $4.3M in prize money (GOLF, 6/15).
Spaun’s victory was “a refreshing change of pace from a recent run of big stars claiming all of the biggest events in men’s golf.” The past six major titles “had gone to four people:” Scheffler, McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, DeChambeau, Schauffele and Scheffler. It “felt kind of fitting in this instance that a no-name like Spaun who’d been grinding for years in the Tour’s shadows was the one best equipped to overcome the non-stop adversity” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/15).
