JJ Spaun rolled in the putt – and with it, his name into golf folklore.
A scarcely believable 64-foot birdie putt that twisted and turned like a rollercoaster through puddles on Oakmont’s iconic 18th green delivered the 33-year-old Californian his first major title on Sunday, capping off a chaotic final round of the US Open with the kind of drama only this tournament seems capable of producing.
Spaun’s final act of magic sealed a closing round of 69 and a two-shot victory over Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, as the rain-soaked course bore witness to a day of high tension, high drama, and high-quality golf.
“It’s surreal,” said Spaun, still visibly stunned by the enormity of his breakthrough moment. “You dream of these things. You play them over and over in your head as a kid. To do it here, in this weather, under this kind of pressure … it’s just unbelievable.”
The putt itself will be replayed for years to come – a snaking, uphill-downhill line that defied logic and physics as much as it did the relentless Oakmont greens. As the ball dropped into the cup, Spaun raised both arms skyward, dropped his putter, and turned to the crowd with a mix of disbelief and pure elation. The roar echoed through the Allegheny foothills.
It was a fitting climax to a final round that began with nine players within four shots of the lead and ended with Spaun holding the US Open trophy – and golf’s spotlight – for the first time.
Playing in the penultimate group, Spaun handled the treacherous layout with calm and composure, even as others around him faltered. Overnight leader Patrick Cantlay faded with a 75, while world No 1 Scottie Scheffler never recovered from a double bogey on the 3rd.
MacIntyre, chasing his own place in history as the first Scot since Paul Lawrie in 1999 to win a major, produced a valiant closing 68 but ultimately fell short as Spaun’s steady play and spectacular finale proved decisive.
Oakmont – true to its brutal reputation – played hard and fast despite the intermittent rain delays. Fairways ran like tarmac, rough swallowed clubs whole, and the greens, though softened, remained lightning quick. Only seven players finished under par, with Spaun’s winning total of four-under 276 emblematic of both his resilience and the course’s demand.
“This was the toughest day of golf I’ve ever had,” said MacIntyre. “But hats off to JJ – that was an incredible putt to win it. You can’t argue with that.”
Spaun, who came into the week ranked outside the world’s top 50 and with just one PGA Tour win to his name, now joins an illustrious list of US Open champions and punches his ticket to a new echelon of the sport.
His journey to this point has not been straightforward. Plagued by injuries early in his career and battling to retain his tour card just three years ago, Spaun has gradually rebuilt his game, culminating in Sunday’s career-defining moment.
“I’ve had to grind, had to be patient,” he said. “I always believed I had what it takes. Today, I proved it.”
With the win, Spaun earns a 10-year exemption into the US Open, five-year berths into the Masters, Open Championship, and PGA Championship, and vaults into the top 20 in the world rankings.
More than that, though, he walks away with a place in history – and a memory that no amount of prize money or world ranking points could ever match.
As the skies finally cleared over Oakmont and the trophy was handed over, Spaun cradled it gently, as if still unsure it was real.
“I guess it really happened,” he smiled. “This is going to take a while to sink in.”
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company%C2%A0profile
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
THE%20SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections
6.30pm: Final Song
7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo
7.40pm: Dubai Icon
8.15pm: Dubai Legacy
8.50pm: Drafted
9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
