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J.J. Spaun winning putt: Best reactions after U.S. Open champion’s legendary tournament-clinching birdie

J.J. Spaun embraced the spotlight on Sunday evening.

The California native entered the 2025 U.S. Open a relative unknown. Claiming just two PGA Tour victories across eight seasons, Spaun was a solid, if unspectacular talent who tended to stay quiet during golf’s grandest competitions.

He might’ve retained his low-key demeanor at Oakmont, but his performance boomed, particularly in the contest’s final moments. 

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With that, here’s what you need to know about Spaun’s triumph in this year’s U.S. Open — namely, his final putt on No. 18.

MORE J.J. SPAUN: 

Best reactions to J.J. Spaun’s U.S. Open-winning putt

Spaun’s Round 1 heroics gave way to inconsistent Round 2 and Round 3 showings that had him on the outside looking in of tournament contention heading into Round 4.

But he found his form across the final 18 holes. Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions, Spaun was steady on the links, particularly during the back-nine.

Spaun canned birdies on Nos. 12 and 13, surging his way up the final round leaderboard as wind and rain swept atop Oakmont’s harrowing course layout. A bogey on No. 15 set him back slightly, but he still was in prime position to contend for a U.S. Open title as he strolled to No. 17.

With Robert MacIntyre waiting in the clubhouse at +1, Spaun kept his composure, recording a birdie to give himself a little cushion at Even par. Spaun repeated the feat on No. 18, doing so in the most dramatic of fashion to land his first major title.

After Viktor Hovland misfired on an attempt from nearly the same spot, all Spaun needed to do was learn from Hovland’s mistakes and avoid bogey to ensure he took home hardware. Standing 64 feet, five inches from the hole, the protocol seemed simple: get the ball as close to the pin before two-putting and basking in Oakmont glory.

Spaun did it one better. He conjured up a pearl of an effort from distance, curling his shot into the bottom of the cup. The crowd erupted in celebration as Spaun embraced his caddie after sinking the longest putt for any player throughout the entire tournament.

Another angle: 

The tears of joy flowed from Spaun because how could they not?

Spaun left the crowd in a frenzy at the sight of his splendid finish. They weren’t the only ones impressed with the attempt — so were MacIntyre and Hovland, both of whom gave props to Spaun when the action concluded.

Tyrrell Hatton watched it live — during an interview — and couldn’t believe it:

With his shot from distance, Spaun was the sole competitor to post a score under par for the whole of the tournament. In fact, he’s one of just five golfers to finish under par during the U.S. Open at Oakmont since 2007, joining Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry, and Scott Piercy.

His birdie-birdie on Nos. 17 and 18 also made history: according to Fried Egg Golf, Spaun is one of five U.S. Open champions to finish birdie-birdie. His counterparts? Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Jon Rahm.

All told, Sunday’s finale was just the platform Spaun needed to show off his skillset. With those last two putts on Nos.  17 and 18, he received his just rewards, too — a gleaming U.S. Open title.

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