By Mark Schlabach and Paolo Uggetti
OAKMONT, Pa. – The U.S. Open, the season`s third major championship, concluded with a stunning and improbable victory for J.J. Spaun. He secured the title in dramatic fashion by sinking back-to-back birdies on the final two holes at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday. Spaun was the sole competitor to finish below par for the tournament, carding a 1-under total of 279. He stood alone against the challenging conditions of rain and wind that made the Oakmont course even more formidable.
Looking ahead, the final major championship of the year, The Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, is set for July 17-20, just a month away.
Who are the leading contenders for The Open? Will Spaun`s unexpected triumph propel him to further victories? What`s the current state of affairs regarding the Ryder Cup teams?
What to Expect from J.J. Spaun for the Rest of the Season?
Mark Schlabach: Just last season, Spaun was struggling, missing cuts in 10 of his first 15 starts on the PGA Tour and ranking 169th globally. He was genuinely concerned about losing his tour status. Spaun recalled a moment in June: “Last year in June I was looking like I was going to lose my job, and that was when I had that moment where, `If this is how I go out, I might as well go down swinging.`”
He turned his performance around late in the summer last year and has played some of the best golf of his career throughout this season. He finished tied for second at the Cognizant Classic in February and lost to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Players Championship on a Monday. He had been close to adding a second career tour win, and he finally achieved it on one of the most challenging courses in the world.
“I think it`s just perseverance,” Spaun commented. “I`ve always kind of battled through whatever it may be to kind of get to where I needed to be and get to what I wanted. I`ve done this before. I`ve had slumps kind of at every level. I`ve always kind of, I went back and said, `You`ve done this before. You`ve been down before. You got out of it.` There`s kind of like a little pattern, so hopefully I don`t do that pattern again.”
Other players on tour weren`t entirely surprised by Spaun`s U.S. Open victory, which speaks volumes. While his name might not be widely known to casual golf fans, he`s recognized among peers as one of the world`s premier ball-strikers. His putter was particularly effective over the four days at Oakmont, a key factor in his win.
Paolo Uggetti: Although some might view Spaun`s U.S. Open win as a fluke initially, it`s a testament to his development as a player that he outperformed everyone in the field this week. As his new coach, Josh Gregory, explained after the final round, Spaun could have been content being a steady PGA Tour player (he had earned $17 million in his career before this week), but instead, he desired to become elite.
“It`d be very easy to settle and say what I`m doing works,” Gregory said. “To his credit, he said `I need to be better.`”
For Spaun, who has always been an exceptional ball-striker, this ambition meant focusing on improving his putting and chipping, areas where Gregory says he has provided assistance. This week`s performance was proof of the hard work invested, setting him up well for the remainder of the year. Now, on courses that prioritize precise iron play, it appears he can also rely on converting opportunities once he reaches the green.
While contending for the final major of the year might be a tall order considering Spaun has never played in The Open, I fully expect him to be in contention at several upcoming PGA Tour events, including the Tour Championship.
Reflections on the Ryder Cup After the First Three Majors of the Year?
Schlabach: U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was met with enthusiastic “USA! USA!” chants as he reached the 18th green at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday, a rallying cry he`s likely to hear frequently in the coming months.
Spaun effectively sealed his Ryder Cup spot with his U.S. Open win. He currently sits third in the points standings, behind only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele. Bryson DeChambeau is fourth, followed by Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. These players are considered highly probable members of the team.
Beyond Spaun`s victory, Russell Henley and Ben Griffin likely made the most significant moves at Oakmont. They tied for 10th at 5 over par and are now seventh and eighth respectively in the Ryder Cup points list.
The top six players in the standings after the BMW Championship on August 17th will automatically qualify for the team; Captain Bradley will then make six captain`s selections.
Uggetti: I`m certain European captain Luke Donald enjoyed witnessing Viktor Hovland once again get close to securing his first major title, along with strong performances from Tyrrell Hatton and even Jon Rahm, who nearly played his way into contention. All finished inside the top 10 and are highly probable selections for Bethpage, even if Rahm and Hovland are currently outside the top six in the European rankings.
Someone who *is* inside the top six is Robert MacIntyre, whose final-round charge on Sunday led to a second-place finish, his best result ever in a major, and propelled him up to fourth in the Ryder Cup standings.
MacIntyre was considered the final pick two years ago in Rome but more than proved his worth with a 2-0-1 record. This season on tour, MacIntyre has four top-10 finishes, and a result like the one at Oakmont will undoubtedly strengthen his case and position him well for a return to the team in September.
Early Thoughts on The Open Championship?
Schlabach: Scottie Scheffler battled both his swing and his putter for 72 holes at Oakmont but still managed a tie for seventh at 4 over, securing another top-10 finish in a major. Even when not at his peak, Scheffler remains better than most, and I believe the list of potential contenders at Royal Portrush starts with the three-time major winner.
“My main takeaway is I battled as hard as I did this week,” Scheffler commented. “I was really proud mentally of how I was over the course of four days. I did a lot of things out there that could really kind of break a week, and I never really got that one good break that kind of propels you. I`d hit it this far off, and seemingly every time I did, I was punished pretty severely for it.”
Shane Lowry took home the Claret Jug the last time The Open was hosted in Northern Ireland in 2019, and I anticipate he will be among the favorites once more. Lowry struggled significantly in his second consecutive major, missing the cut after rounds of 79 and 78. Despite this, his history at Portrush makes him a contender.
Rory McIlroy will be seeking redemption after missing the cut at Royal Portrush five years ago. He still faced some challenges with his driver at Oakmont but finished the tournament with positive momentum after posting a 3-under 67 on Sunday. He seems confident he can get his mindset and swing in the right place before arriving in Northern Ireland.
“Look, if I can`t get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don`t know what can motivate me,” McIlroy stated. “Yeah, as I said, I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven`t been there the last few weeks. But as I said, getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again.”
Uggetti: How about the defending champion making another run at the title? While attention was focused on the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, Xander Schauffele quietly posted an under-par round to finish inside the top 12 at Oakmont.
Schauffele`s game has been steadily returning to major championship form after he missed some time earlier in the season due to a rib injury. In his last seven starts, he has recorded five top-15 finishes.
“I`ve never been hurt before. So I think it was all kind of new,” Schauffele shared this week. “I felt like I was playing at a pretty high level. Then I got hurt. My expectations of what I knew I could do to where I was were very different, and accepting that was tough. I think that was sort of the biggest wake-up call for me coming back.”
It`s fair to say Schauffele is close to being fully back, just in time for the second major he won last season. The 31-year-old secured the Claret Jug last year at Troon with a remarkable Sunday performance, demonstrating his ability to excel not only on standard PGA Tour setups but also on links courses in their typical conditions. Portrush will present these challenges next month, and Schauffele will have the advantage of knowing he has previously succeeded in that kind of environment.
Who, Besides Spaun, Were the Biggest Winners at Oakmont?
Schlabach: Viktor Hovland`s swing has been a source of frustration for him for much of the season – or at least he perceived it that way – but he managed to work his way into contention and finished third at 2 over. Hovland`s internal pursuit of perfection might prevent him from joining the ranks of Scheffler, Schauffele, and others as the absolute best golfers globally, but there`s little doubt about his immense talent. He possesses all the tools needed to win multiple major championships.
“I keep progressing in the right direction, and to have a chance to win a major championship without my best stuff and not feeling very comfortable, it`s super cool,” Hovland stated. “So I`m going to take a lot of positives with me this week.”
While Adam Scott would have preferred a better closing round than Sunday`s 9-over 79, he was right in the mix until the conditions deteriorated significantly on the back nine. I had thought Scott`s chances of contending in majors might be behind him at 44 years old. However, this was the first time in quite a while he was genuinely in contention, suggesting he might still have some competitive fire left for future opportunities.
Uggetti: I`ll reiterate Robert MacIntyre. The player from Oban appeared composed in the chaotic conditions on Sunday, navigating the back nine at Oakmont bogey-free at 2 under par to briefly hold the clubhouse lead, nearly forcing a playoff with Spaun.
“I`m just a guy who believes,” MacIntyre said. “Today was a day that I said to myself, `Why not? Why not it be me today?`”
Throughout the week, the Scotsman`s putting was outstanding, ranking fourth in strokes gained: putting. Despite a round of 74 on Friday, he kept himself in the tournament, having predicted an even par winner. MacIntyre was almost correct.
Once he completed his round and could only watch as Spaun drained the lengthy 64-foot birdie putt to finish at 1-under and secure the victory, cameras captured MacIntyre in the scoring room giving Spaun a warm round of applause and a sincere “Wow.” It was a genuine, human moment that garnered considerable praise and capped off a week MacIntyre won`t soon forget.
“It feels great,” MacIntyre commented on being in contention. “It`s what I`ve dreamed of as a kid, sitting back home watching all the majors. Yeah, it feels unbelievable.”
