America's JJ Spaun put his Players Championship disappointment behind him in sensational style 12 months ago when he holed a 60-foot putt on the final green to win the US Open, beating Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre by two shots.
Spaun had to overcome a saturated golf course, a 90-minute rain delay and the brilliance of MacIntyre at Oakmont Country Club.
He was the only player in the field to finish under par.
MacIntyre, watching on a television, applauded and simply mouthed "wow" when the putt dropped. It was a terrific gesture at the end of an enthralling final round.
The Scot had gone close to breaking his own major duck at a course that is generally regarded as the toughest in the world. He started the day seven off the lead and was the only player from the overnight top-10 to break par in the final round. His sensational two-under 68 set the clubhouse target at one over par.
But Spaun birdied the 17th to get to level par and then produced his moment of magic on the final green to send the drenched masses surround the putting surface wild.
It was quite the turnaround by the Californian, who started the round one shot behind overnight leader Sam Burns, and bogeyed five of his first six holes to seemingly drop out of contention. However, after torrential rain stopped play for an hour and a half, Spaun regained his composure to follow a front nine of 40 shots with a back nine of 32.
"I never thought I would be here holding this trophy," he said. "I've always had aspirations and dreams but a few months ago I didn't know what my ceiling was and how good I could be."
While Spaun was climbing the leaderboard, the ragged play of others added to the drama. Burns, who had led after rounds two and three, drowned in the rain, alongside playing partner Adam Scott. They endured nightmare rounds of eight and nine over par respectively to finish well off the pace.
At one stage on the back nine, five players shared the lead at one over par, including England's Tyrrell Hatton who played outstandingly for 16 holes but stumbled at the 17th and finished four back.
Four bogeys on the front nine derailed Norway's Viktor Hovland but a level-par closing nine saw him home in 73 to claim third place on three over. "I missed three five-foot putts and you can't be doing that if you're going to win a major championship," said the European Ryder Cup player.
Could Spaun retain his title at Shinnecock Hills in 2026?
- The US Open 2026 Preview, Picks & Analysis
- 10 Picks to Win The 2026 US Open
- 10 Outsiders to Watch at The 2026 US Open
- This Could Be The Summer of Tommy Fleetwood
- Why The US Open is The Toughest Test in Golf
- What Happened When Shinnecock Hills Last Hosted The US Open?
Look forward to the championship by reading these preview articles!
