Spaun weathers the storm to win US Open

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania — J.J.Spaun turned a sloppy mess of a US Open at wet and nasty Oakmont into a thing of beauty at the end on Sunday, with two stunning shots that carried him to his first major championship.

First came his drive on the 314-yard 17th hole onto the green for a birdie that gave him the lead. Needing two putts from 65 feet on the 18th to win, he finished his storybook Open by holing the longest putt of the week for birdie and a 2-over 72.

That made him the only player to finish under par at 1-under 279.

It gave him a two-shot victory over Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, and it made Spaun, the 34-year-old Californian who resembles the late Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris, a major champion in only his second US Open.

"I never thought I would be here holding this trophy," said Spaun, who finished last year at No 119 in the world with only one PGA Tour title in his career. "I always had aspirations and dreams. I never knew what my ceiling was. I'm just trying to be the best golfer I can be."

While it was Spaun's perfect day, it was a calamity for so many others.

Sam Burns had a two-shot lead going to the 11th tee, where he made a double bogey from a divot in the first cut and from a lie in the fairway so wet he thought he deserved relief. He shot 78.

Adam Scott, trying not to become the first player to go more than 11 years between major titles, was tied for the lead with five holes to play. One of the best drivers could no longer find the fairway. He played them in 5-over and shot 79.

"I missed the fairway. I hadn't done that all week really. Then I did, and I paid the price and lost a lot of shots out there," Scott said.

Carlos Ortiz and Tyrrell Hatton also slashed away in slushy lies, all making mistakes that cost them a chance to survive what was a beast of day.

The rain that put Oakmont on the edge of being unplayable might have saved Spaun.

One shot behind at the start of the day, he opened with five bogeys in six holes with some horrific breaks, none worse than hitting the pin on the second hole and seeing it spin back to the fairway. And then came a rain delay of one hour, 37 minutes.

"The weather delay changed the whole vibe of the day," Spaun said.

Remarkably, he made only one bogey the rest of the way.

But oh, that finish.

MacIntyre, the 28-year-old from Oban, toughened by the Scottish game of shinty, became the new target. He also struggled at the start, and fell nine shots behind at one point. But, he birdied the 17th and split the fairway on the 18th for a key par, a 68 and the clubhouse lead.

Three groups later, Spaun delivered what looked like the winner, a powerful fade that rolled onto the green like a putt and settled 18 feet behind the cup.

And then the final putt — no one made a longer one all week. He was helped by Viktor Hovland being on the same line and going first. Spaun rapped it through the soaked turf, walked to the left to watch it break right toward the hole and watched it drop, as thousands of rain-soaked spectators erupted.

He raised both arms and tossed his putter, jumping into the arms of caddie Mark Carens.

The celebration carried into those who lost the battle. MacIntyre, so close to becoming Scotland's first major champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999, sat in scoring in front of a TV and applauded.

Hatton was talking with reporters, bemoaning how a bad break on the 17th ended his chances of winning. He watched Spaun's putt and it brightened his mood.

"Unbelievable. What a putt to win. That's incredible," he said. "I'm sad about how I finished, but I'm very happy for J.J. to win a major in that fashion is amazing."

Hovland, who shot 73 to finish third, saw it all — the putt at the end, the bogeys at the start.

"After his start, it just looked like he was out of it immediately," Hovland said. "Everyone came back to the pack. I wasn't expecting that really. I thought I had to shoot maybe 3-under par today to have a good chance."

Agencies Via Xinhua