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New York Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
U.S. Open 2025: What to know about J.J. Spaun's win at Oakmont
A frantic, exceedingly soggy final round at Oakmont managed to generate one of the more exciting horse races in recent major championship history. A half-dozen players claimed a share of the lead at some point during the afternoon, navigating one of golf's most demanding venues. After a weather delay of more than 90 minutes, J.J. Spaun emerged above the pack, making birdie on four of his last seven holes to secure his first major win. Advertisement Here are the top numbers and notes to know from the final round of the 125th United States Open. 1. Spaun's performance Sunday was inarguably one of the most resilient by a major champion in the history of the sport. He clanged an approach off the pin at the second that bounded back some 50 yards. He made bogey on four of his first five holes and scored 40 through nine holes. He didn't make a birdie until the 12th and wound up carding six bogeys in all. He missed half of his fairways and lost more than a stroke and a half to the field with his approach play in the final round. None of that mattered. Spaun is the first player to card a 40 or higher on the front nine in the final round of a U.S. Open and still win since Francis Ouimet in 1913. He is the first man to card a 40 or higher on any nine holes the week of a major win in 23 years (Ernie Els, third round of the 2002 Open). His six bogeys today are the most in the final round by a U.S. Open champion since Hale Irwin at Inverness in 1979. 2. Spaun's championship-clinching birdie putt at 18 was 64 feet, five inches, the longest made by any player on the 18th all week. He is just the fifth player to finish birdie-birdie to win the U.S. Open in regulation, and the second to do it at Oakmont. Ben Hogan also birdied the 71st and 72nd holes in his victory in 1953. Spaun holed putts of 22, 40 and 64 feet all during his last seven holes played. His makes at 12 and 18 are his two longest all year. Spaun made 160 feet of putts Sunday, 40 more than any other player in the field. His preposterous 401 feet of putts made for the championship also led all players. He entered the week ranked 158th of 179 qualified players on the PGA Tour in feet of putts made per round. Spaun had played in the U.S. Open just once previously, missing the cut at Torrey Pines in 2021. He is the first player to win this championship in his second career start since Webb Simpson at The Olympic Club in 2012. WHAT A PUTT!!!! J.J. SPAUN WINS THE U.S. OPEN!!!! — U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2025 3. While Spaun's winning putt will be played on U.S. Open highlight reels forever, the significance of the tee shot he hit the previous hole cannot be understated. Tied for the lead standing on the 71st tee, a 314-yard par 4, Spaun hit an absolutely perfect drive, bouncing onto the green, 18 feet from the cup. He made a two-putt birdie to take an outright lead he refused to relinquish. Spaun gained 2.35 strokes on the field for the week with his tee shots, ranking a modest 26th among players to make the cut. His last two tee shots were responsible for 70 percent of his strokes gained off the tee for the week. Advertisement Spaun is just the fourth player since 2000 to be age 34 or older and get his first major win at the U.S. Open. Two in that group got it done at Oakmont: Angel Cabrera was 37 when he outlasted the field at 5 over back in 2007. 4. Robert MacIntyre finished alone in second place, the best result by a player from Scotland at the U.S. Open since Colin Montgomerie did the same in 1997. MacIntyre shot 69-68 on the weekend, the only player in the field to break par in both Rounds 3 and 4. He played his last 12 holes of the championship 3 under, bogey-free, going 4-of-4 scrambling to post 1 over for the week. This is MacIntyre's first top-five finish in a major championship. His previous best came in his debut, the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, where he finished T6. MacIntyre was tied for 23rd through 36 holes this week before nearly completing a historic winning charge. In U.S. Open history, only three players have come from farther down the leaderboard after 36 holes and gone on to win. 5. Viktor Hovland finished alone in third place, three shots off the lead — precisely where he began the final round. Hovland now has four top-five finishes in major championships. Since the beginning of 2022, that is tied for most of any player without a major win in that span, alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa. Though his approach numbers for the week were quite good overall, they weren't up to his elite standards on Sunday. Hovland had an average proximity to the hole in the final round of 49 feet, 9 inches — more than 27 feet farther away than what he produced on Saturday. Perhaps the most buoyant statistic for Hovland moving forward came from his beleaguered short game. Hovland, who entered the week ranked 158th on tour this year in strokes gained around the green, led the field at Oakmont in that metric. Advertisement 6. Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader, closed with 78 to finish in a tie for seventh place. It's the highest final round shot by a 54-hole leader in a U.S. Open since Dustin Johnson carded 82 at Pebble Beach in 2010. Burns received a less-than-magnanimous ruling regarding casual water relief at the 15th, where he ended up making double bogey, derailing his title hopes. Over the last two summers, Burns has now been one back entering the final round at Royal Troon and one ahead entering Sunday here at Oakmont. In those final rounds, he is a combined 15-over-par. The last player to hold a one-shot lead through 54 holes at the U.S. Open and win the championship in regulation remains Payne Stewart in 1999 at Pinehurst. 7. Adam Scott closed with 79, his worst round in a U.S. Open since an 82 in 2007. That was also here at Oakmont. Scott never quite had his best form at any point Sunday – his lone birdie of the afternoon came on the fourth hole. His seven fairways hit and nine greens in regulation were both personal lows for the week. A run of 5-over-par on his last five holes left him in a tie for 12th place. Scott was seeking to become the first player in men's golf history to win his second career major 12 or more years after claiming his first. Now 44, he would have been the second-oldest U.S. Open champion all-time, behind only Hale Irwin in 1990 (age 45). 8. Carlos Ortiz made just one birdie Sunday amid the extremely difficult conditions but leaves Pennsylvania with easily his best major finish. His tie for fourth is the best finish in men's major championship history by a player representing Mexico. The previous mark was held by fellow LIV Golf competitor Abraham Ancer, who finished tied for eighth at the 2022 PGA. Tyrrell Hatton shares fourth place with Ortiz and American Cameron Young. It marks the best major championship finish of Hatton's career to date, his previous best a T5 nine years ago at The Open. His Legion XIII teammate Jon Rahm posted the early clubhouse lead, 4 over, after a Sunday 67. It's the third time Rahm has shot 67 or lower in the final round of a U.S. Open, tied for the second most in history. Advertisement 9. Xander Schauffele never truly got in contention, but his tie for 12th place continues a staggering run of U.S. Open consistency. Schauffele is just the third player since World War II to finish in the top 15 in the United States Open nine years or more in a row. The other two players are Sam Snead (also nine straight) and Jack Nicklaus (12). Rory McIlroy closed a sour week with a sweet note, finishing his U.S. Open with a round of 67. It's McIlroy's 10th career round of 67 or lower at the U.S. Open, the most of any player in history. With 39 rounds of 67 or better in his major championship career, Rory trails only Tiger Woods (48), Nicklaus (42) and Phil Mickelson (41) for most in the modern era. 10. The final men's major of the season is The Open, hosted by Royal Portrush for just the third time. Shane Lowry was the last victor there six years ago, his Saturday 63 sparking a six-shot runaway and a party that may have only recently ended. Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka and Lee Westwood rounded out the top five that week. The opening round of The Open is in 32 days.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
US Open final round: McIlroy finishing strongly as leaders head out
Update: Date: 18:38 BST Title: How hard is it out there today? Content: With only four players under par after 54 holes, we've got use to this course beating golfers up this week. But it's definitely mellowed over the weekend. At the time of writing, six holes are playing under par, so there are birdies out there. And plenty of them are on the back nine, so strap in for fireworks when the leaders reach there. (Provided they survive 15, 16 and 18 that is...) Update: Date: 18:37 BST Title: All upsides for Scott Content: Scott -3 (19:15 BST) At 44 years of age, Adam Scott could become the oldest US Open champion since Hale Irwin in 1990 if he can get the job done today. He's not feeling the pressure though, as with a Masters title already in his pocket he sees challenging for a second major at his age as a bonus. "It's all upsides," Scott said after his third round. "I'm lucky, I've won a major. "I'd love to win the US Open though, and fortunately the confidence is up so I should look to take advantage of it." Update: Date: 18:37 BST Title: Another birdie for Rory Content: McIlroy +7 (17) Rory McIlroy - swinging much better today - lashes a three-wood on to the green at the short par-four 17th. He races his 25-foot eagle attempt well past the hole, but makes the one coming back. He's back to three under for the day. A birdie at the last will give him a closing 66 and something positive to take away from a dispiriting week. Update: Date: 18:33 BST Title: I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do - McIlroy Content: Rory McIlroy made plenty of headlines when he opted not to speak to the media after his first two rounds at Oakmont, and then made headlines when he did speak after round three.. "It's just frustration with you guys [some sections of the media]," the Northern Irishman said in his first post-round interview at a major since winning the Masters at Augusta in April. "I have been totally available for the past number of years," McIlroy added. "That [driver issue] was a part of it but at Augusta I skipped you guys on Thursday. "It's not out of the ordinary as I've done it before, but I am doing it a little more often. I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do." Do you agree with McIlroy? Read the full story and have your say. Update: Date: 18:31 BST Title: Any chance of a comeback? Content: Any chance of a big comeback today? Oakmont isn't exactly an ideal course for chasing birdies, but there are chances if you find the fairway. And shots for the leaders can be lost in an instant. But the largest ever US Open final round comeback is from seven shots back, so that means only the top 10 overnight stand a chance today, what do you think? Here's the biggest final round comebacks in US Open history: Update: Date: 18:29 BST Title: Strong start for Detry Content: Detry +3 (7) Belgium's Thomas Detry is sneaking up the leaderboard. The 32-year-old rolls in a 10-foot putt on the par three sixth to go two under and then almost birdies the seventh. He has made a strong start and is currently up into a tie for ninth. Update: Date: 18:28 BST Title: The outsider? Content: Neergaard-Petersen +2, Lawrence +1 (18:42 BST) Thriston Lawrence is supposed to have gone away by now but the gritty South African is sticking around. It's been a miserable year for the 28-year-old, making only three of 14 cuts worldwide before this week. And yet here he is, in the top seven and ranked third for strokes gained putting at the US Open. Update: Date: 18:26 BST Title: The wily veteran Content: It's 22 years since Adam Scott first played in the US Open as a fresh-faced 21-year-old. Here's how old the rest of his competition today were when he teed off at Bethpage on 13 June 2002. (If you're wondering who won that year, yeah it was Mr Woods). Update: Date: 18:25 BST Title: McIlroy battling back Content: McIlroy +8 (16) Rory McIlroy has cut a forlorn and agitated figure all week, but he's at least had more to shout about today. The Masters champion has had five birdies and three bogeys and looks poised to card his first under-par round at Oakmont at the sixth attempt (stretching back to the 2016 tournament). He's currently tied for 35th. Update: Date: 18:23 BST Title: A four-way race? Content: Each of this quartet leads the field in at least one metric through three rounds. Burns: Overall (second for approach and around the green) Spaun: Putting Scott: Off the tee Hovland: Approach and tee to green Leapfrog the others in one of those metrics and it could make the difference today. Take our poll at the top of the page or choose over here, external Update: Date: 18:21 BST Title: Sunday pins Content: Some beauties in here again... Update: Date: 18:14 BST Title: Watch: Rory McIlroy's fed-up interview Content: This video can not be played Watch: Frustrated McIlroy has 'earned the right to do whatever I want' Rory McIlroy looked totally fed-up after round three when he gave an interesting interview shall we say, detailing his frustrations at Oakmont and his recent media blackout. He says he's earned the chance to do what he wants, including skipping media duties - do you agree? Update: Date: 18:13 BST Title: History-making hole Content: We knew it was coming but Oakmont has indeed made their eighth hole the longest par-three in major championship history today. At 301 yards, it's an absolute monster - and it's stimulated plenty of discussion this week. So are you a fan of long par threes? Or is this distance "a gimmick"? Hit those thumbs. Update: Date: 18:10 BST Title: Overnight Leaderboard Content: Just four players under par at the end of round three and seven shots covering the top 10 - who will be taking home the trophy out of this lot? Update: Date: 18:07 BST Title: Yesterday's finest Content: This video can not be played Best shots from day three at US Open featuring Scheffler & Scott As we prepare to take you through this final round, take a look back at the best of yesterday's action. Update: Date: 18:04 BST Title: On Sunday's menu Content: Tonight's winner is probably among this lot. Here are the tee-times (all BST): Update: Date: 18:02 BST Title: Welcome to championship Sunday! Content: Here it is folks! It's time to find out who will win the 125th US Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh as the challengers prepare to get out on the course for their final rounds. American Sam Burns leads the way but he's just a shot ahead of compatriot JJ Spaun and veteran Australian Adam Scott. Viktor Hovland is the fourth man under par while Englishman Tyrrell Hatton and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre are in hot pursuit. Chances are we'll crown a new major champion tonight, but around a course this tough and with the pressure of getting over the line this will not be an easy task. Shots can vanish in an instant around here, so no lead is safe and this one will definitely not be over until it's over - so make sure you stay right here as we take you through the best of the action.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
US Open scoring: Does the USGA go too far, or are US Opens a true test of golf?
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. It's not that the United States Golf Association wants to reduce the field at the U.S. Open to so many sniffling babies, getting beat up by gnarly rough, narrow fairways and fast greens. The stance of the governing body of golf in America, which sets the rules and also operates 17 national championships, including this week's tournament at the Oakmont Country Club, is to see who can rise above the weeping and wailing. Advertisement 'We're not trying to humiliate the best players in the world,' said former USGA President Sandy Tatum, after Hale Irwin won the 1974 U.S. Open at 7-over par at Winged Foot. 'We're simply trying to identify them.' The Oakmont Country Club south of Pittsburgh was built on farmland and offers golfers in the U.S. Open a stern test, despite the lack of water hazards or trees. That's never more the case than at Oakmont, that Western Pennsylvania beast that will host the Open for the 10th time, more than any course in America. Players, at least the ones who can park their egos and drivers at the door, accept that the U.S. Open will likely be the most difficult test of the year for them. What's so tough about Oakmont? There is no water. Many of the trees were removed during the last renovation. And the course is generally in as ideal shape as any major championship venue. Advertisement But it's a par-70, so two par-5 scoring opportunities are out the window. And it's long, this year playing at over 7,372. There's a 289-yard par-3 (No. 8), a 507-yard par-4 (No. 15) and a 632-yard par-5 (No. 12). Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Angel Cabrera (left to right) wait on the 18th green of the Oakmont Country Club after the final round of the 107th U.S. Open Championship on June 17, 2007. Players also have to contend with the "Church Pew Bunker," a massive fairway trap with rows of thick, high grass. That said, it's been a wet May in the area and rain might fall during the week. The USGA course setup crew is likely not able to greens rolling as fast as they would like (156 players are crossing their fingers) but it also means the rough will be thicker, deeper and wetter. How tough has Oakmont played? Tommy Armour won the first U.S. Open played at Oakmont in 1927, beating Harry Cooper in a playoff. They both shot 21-over 301 but with rudimentary equipment and a game that was still evolving in America, that was the norm for the period. Advertisement The first eight U.S. Opens were won with scores of 300 or more, with the highest total for a winner coming in 1901 when four-time Open champion Willie Anderson and Alex Smith went to a playoff after they posted 43-over 331 at the Myopia Hunt Club, near Boston. It wasn't until Smith shot 295 at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest Ill., to win the 1906 Open that someone broke 300 and won. Sam Parks Jr. nearly cut Armour's score in half when the Open went back to Oakmont in 1935, posting 11-over to win. It was another 18 years before the Open went back to Oakmont and Hall of Famer Ben Hogan had the first under-par winning score at 5-under. Five years before, Hogan set a record of 8-under to win the 1948 Open that wasn't matched for 32 years, when Jack Nicklaus shot 8-under at Baltusrol. Advertisement While Oakmont was tough, a player on his game could break par. Since Hogan's 1953 victory, six of seven winners at Oakmont have shot under par for the tournament. The lone exception was 2007, when heat and dry conditions super-charged the greens and Angel Cabera won at 5-over. What are the highest scores to win a U.S. Open, post WWII? Julius Boros wins second Open With brisk wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean and torturing the players at The Country Club near Boston, 43-year-old Julius Boros won his second U.S. Open and became the second-oldest Open winner. Boros, Jacky Cupit and Arnold Palmer survived the breezy conditions the best to make the 18-hole playoff with scores of 9-over par. That remains the highest 72-hole Open score since World War II. Advertisement Boros shot 70 to win the playoff, with Cupit posting a 73 and Palmer a 76. Hale Irwin survives at Winged Foot Irwin won the first of his three U.S. Opens with a 7-over 287, two shots over the immortal Forrest Fezler. Arnold Palmer contended in a U.S. Open for the last time. Irwin shot even par and 8-under to win his next two Opens. Irwin never shot under par for the week, shot 4-over on the weekend and still won. Tom Watson had a 79 in the final round and managed to tie for fifth. Back-to-back years of 5-over The U.S. Open years of 2006 at Winged Foot and 2007 at Oakmont produced champions who shot 5-over 285. Advertisement At Winged Foot, Geoff Ogilvy shot 72-72 on the weekend and won. He sat in the locker room and watched Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie self-destruct on the final hole. Angel Cabrera posted a 69 in the final round to win in 2007 at Oakmont, and like Ogilvy, had to wait for the final group to finish before he knew he had won. That twosome was Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, both of whom could have forced a playoff with a birdie at the last. How to watch the US Open June 11 Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 7 p.m.–9 p.m. June 12 First round USA Network, 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Peacock, U.S. Open All-Access 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Peacock, late afternoon play, 5-8 p.m. Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open, 8–10 p.m. Featured Groups, USGA App, Peacock, DirecTV, YouTube TV, 7:17 a.m.-1:02 p.m. June 13 Second round Peacock, 6:30 a.m.–1 p.m. NBC, 1–7 p.m. Peacock, U.S. Open All-Access 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Peacock, late afternoon play, 7 p.m.–8 p.m. Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 8-10 p.m. Featured Groups. USGA App, Peacock, DirecTV, YouTube TV. 7:17 a.m.-1:02 p.m. June 14 Third round Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 8-10 a.m. USA Network, 10 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Peacock, U.S. Open All-Access 10 a.m.–12 p.m. NBC, 12-8 p.m. Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 8–10 p.m. Featured Groups, USGA App, Peacock, DirecTV, YouTube TV, times and groups to be determined. June 15 Fourth round Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 7 a.m.–9 a.m. USA Network, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Peacock, U.S. Open All-Access, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. NBC, 12 p.m.–7 p.m. Golf Channel, Golf Central's Live From The U.S. Open 7 p.m.–9 p.m. Featured Groups, USGA App, Peacock, DirecTV, YouTube TV, times and groups to be determined. What they're saying about Oakmont 'I think it just puts an emphasis on hitting the fairway and hitting greens. If you're a premier ball striker, you'll be licking your chops. You're legit in the fairway, in the first cut. It's pretty hard to be in the bunker and have an open shot to the green. If you're in the rough, it's very lie-dependent. For the most part, the only control you can have is if you keep it right in front of you. — Xander Schauffele 'It requires patience and discipline. If you just get lazy, like on any drive, any wedge shot, any chip, any putt, you can kind of look stupid pretty fast, especially at a place like this.' — Justin Thomas 'It seems like it's tougher this time around, but that's just maybe with the little bit of added length. It's going to make it a little more difficult. But yeah, somehow I figured out a way to get it under par. It was mostly the driving. Obviously even driving it in the fairway here, it's still really difficult, but I hit a lot of good drives and a lot of good iron shots. — Dustin Johnson on winning the Open at Oakmont in 2016. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: US Open: USGA makes sure it's historically, the toughest major to win
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who has the most wins in the U.S. Open? Four golfers are tied with four wins each
Who has the most wins in the U.S. Open? Four golfers are tied with four wins each This year marks the 125th U.S. Open and in all that time, no one has won the event more than four times. So who has the most wins in the national championship? We'll keep you waiting just a tad longer here but you should know that four golfers have each won the U.S. Open trophy four times and two golfers have won it three times. There are another 12 who have won the title twice but this list is about the most wins all time so let's get to it. Willie Anderson, 4 Willie Anderson won the U.S. Open four times − 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905 − with his last three coming in succession. He is the only golfer to win the title three years in a row. His 1901 win featured a third-round 83 and the highest four-day total (331). Bobby Jones, 4 Bobby Jones is one of seven golfers to have won the U.S. Open two years in a row. Overall his wins came in 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1930. He is one of five amateurs to win the Open and the only am to win it more than once. Ben Hogan, 4 Ben Hogan won his four U.S. Opens over a span of six years: 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1953. He famously missed the 1949 Open due to bad car crash but he recovered in time to return in 1950 to win the second of his four. His 1951 win started with a first-round 76, tied for highest first-round score by a winner since World War II. He holds the mark for most top-10s with 10. Jack Nicklaus, 4 Jack Nicklaus has four wins − 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 − spanned over three decades. In his 1972 and his 1980 wins, he held the lead or a share of the lead all four days, the only golfer to do that twice. He holds the record for longest span − 18 years − in between his first and last U.S. Open titles. Nicklaus also has the most U.S. Open appearances with 44, 10 more than Hale Irwin at 34. Hale Irwin, 3 Hale Irwin won three times − 1974, 1979, 1990 − and is tied for longest stretch − 11 years − between U.S. Open victories. In 1984, he led after the first three rounds but failed to win, one of 12 golfers to do that. His 1990 victory came at the age of 45, making his the oldest to win the U.S. Open. He got in the field that year as a special exemption. Tiger Woods, 3 Tiger Woods has three titles, 2000, 2002 and 2008. His 2000 and 2002 wins were wire-to-wire, the only golfer to accomplish that twice. His 2000 win at Pebble Beach featured the largest 36-hole lead (6), largest 54-hole lead (10) and the largest margin of victory (15). The previous record was set 101 years before that. Golfers with 2 U.S. Open victories There are two names on the list below of active golfers who could get their third U.S. Open title in 2025. Alex Smith: 1906, 1910 John J. McDermott: 1911, 1912 Walter Hagen: 1914, 1919 Gene Sarazen: 1922, 1932 Ralph Guldahl: 1937, 1938 Cary Middlecoff: 1949, 1956 Julius Boros: 1952, 1963 Billy Casper: 1959, 1966 Lee Trevino: 1968, 1971 Andy North: 1978, 1985 Curtis Strange: 1988, 1989 Payne Stewart: 1991, 1999 Ernie Els: 1994, 1997 Lee Janzen: 1993, 1998 Retief Goosen: 2001, 2004 Brooks Koepka: 2017, 2018 Bryson DeChambeau: 2020, 2024
