JJ Spaun turned a disorderly disorder from a north -American opening to Wet and Nasty Oakmont into a beauty thing at the end Sunday with twice impressive hits that took him to his first major championship.
First came his driver at the 17th hole of 314 gardens in the green for a bird that gave him leadership. Needing two 65 -footers on the 18th to win, finished his story book Open To move the longer putt all week in Oakmont for Birdie and a 2-Over 72.
This made him the only player who ended under the 1st-279 279. He gave him a two-shot victory over Robert Macintyre in Scotland.
And he converted Spaun, the 36-year-old Californian who resembles the missing Pittsburgh Steelers Great Franco Harris, a great champion in only his second American open.
“I never thought it would be here to celebrate this trophy,” Spaun said, who ended last year at 119 in the world with only a PGA Tour title in his career. “I have always had aspirations and dreams. I never knew what my roof was. I am trying to be the best golfer I can be.”
It was calamity for so many others.
Seth Wenig / AP 
Sam Burns had a two -way lead in the eleventh Tee, he made a double bogey from a divot in the first cut and a lie on the track so wet he thought he deserved a relief. Shot 78.
Adam Scott, trying to become the first player to spend more than 11 years among the main titles, was tied to play with five holes. One of the best drivers could no longer find the street. Played them at 5 and shot 79.
“I missed the alley. I didn’t do it all week. Then I did it, and paid the price and lost a lot of shots here,” said Scott.
Carlos Ortiz and Tyrrell Hatton also moved away from lies, making mistakes that cost them an opportunity to survive this beast of the day.
The rain that put Oakmont on the shore of not being playable could have saved Spaun.
A shot behind the beginning of the day, opened with five bogeys in six holes with some horrible breaks, no worse than hitting the passer in the second hole and seeing it turning to the court. And then a 1 hour rain delay came, 37 minutes.
“The weather delay changed the whole vibration of the day,” Spaun said.
Notably, he only made a bogey the rest of the way.
But oh, this finish.
Macintyre, Oban’s 28 -year -old, tightened Shinty’s Scottish game, became the new goal. He also fought at the beginning and fell nine shots at a moment. But he occupied on the 17th and divided 18 to a par, a 68 and the house club.
Three groups later, Spaun handed over what seemed like the winner, a powerful fading that rolled over green like a putt and settled 18 meters behind the Cup.
And then the final putt: no one made longer throughout the week. Viktor Hovland was helped by the same line and going first. Spaun removed it on the grass, he headed to the left to see that he turned to the right towards the hole, and saw that he fell as thousands of rainfall spectators exploded.
He lifted both arms and threw his putter, jumping in the arms of Caddy Mark Carens.
The celebration was taken to those who lost the battle.
Macintyre, so close to becoming the first major Scotland champion from Paul Lawrie in 1999, Seat to the score in front of a TV and applauded.
Hatton was talking to the journalists, and he had a bad break on the 17th ended with his chances of winning. He saw Spaun’s putt and illuminated his mood.
“Incredible. What a putt to win. That’s amazing,” he said. “I am sad for how I have finished but I’m really happy that JJ wins a greater this way is incredible.”
Hovland, who shot at 73 to finish third, saw everything: the putt at the end, the bogeys at the beginning.
“After its beginning, it only seemed to be out of it immediately,” Hovland said. “Everyone returned to the package. I didn’t really expect me. I thought I had to shoot maybe three games to have a good opportunity, but obviously the conditions were really hard, and this golf course is just a beast.”
Hatton (72) and Ortiz (73), both of LIV Golf and in serious contentious ones in a first one for the first time, tied for fourth along with Cameron Young (70). The consolation for Ortiz entered the masters next year.
Scottie Scheffler, ten shots in the first round, was somehow somehow part of the conversation in the nine subsequent ones. But he missed Birdie’s too many possibilities even at three 12 -feet whores at the eleventh hole. The world number 1 in the world ended with a 70 to draw for seventh with Jon Rahm (67) and Burns, his best friend who will hear the sting.
He had a double bogey to miss the green in a bad lie on the slope of a bunker. Missed a couple of 6 -foot birds to take advantage of control. And when he made a disaster of 15 for another double bogey.
Throughout everything, Spaun appeared as a United States Open champion that no one saw that no one came, neither at the beginning of the year, nor at the beginning of the round.