From gloom to glory: How U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun won our hearts

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

How quickly the rhythm and beat of a golf tournament can change. One minute you’re fast losing interest in the U.S. Open telecast as the picture grows gloomy and players backtrack with a series of ugly bogeys and wretched double bogeys, the next you’re glued to the screen as the last half hour becomes incredibly tense before you finally jump off the couch as the winning putt trundles 64 feet across a sloping green (that’s still fast despite the rain) and disappears into the cup.

U.S. Opens at Oakmont can be tough for viewers, as well as the players. Sure, there’s several golf fans who, for whatever reason, enjoy watching the best golfers in the world struggle, looking almost amateurish. But most enjoy watching them demonstrate their sublime skills. It should never get too easy, because where’s the thrill in watching star players birdie holes that, on a good day, we could also birdie. By and large, however, people would rather watch Scottie Scheffler play to his potential on his way to another round in the 60s.

At Oakmont, though, we see players hacking sideways out of rough so thick it would be tough to find the ball without a ball spotter and TV replay. We see irons shots pitch close to the hole and apparently come to a stop before making one more fatal roll and exiting off the green. We see shortish putts hit the edge of the cup, spin out, and roll 50 feet away.

I’ve never really agreed with Sandy Tatum’s famous line about U.S. Open course setups not seeking to embarrass the best players in the world but identify them. Because, at an Open, good drives can finish half a yard off the fairway and be almost unplayable. And they often eliminate the possibility of a creative player hitting an exciting recovery shot. Hit a wayward drive at a U.S. Open and the player is immediately on the defensive, and the hole a write-off.

Oakmont somehow gets a pass, though. You can’t explain it, but it probably has something to do with it being that tough all the time, not just for the national championship. Lee Trevino once said it was the one course that was always ready to host a U.S. Open, and there are even tales of the maintenance staff having to slow the greens down and make it slightly more playable for the Championship. There’s something weirdly appealing about that. And you know you can’t just recreate it — it comes from being genuinely unique and doing the same thing for 100 years.

But, although the golf world typically pardons Oakmont, there’s no denying that when it gets a little dark and wet, and joyless players look exasperated after making yet another sorry six, it can all get a bit … grim.

And when your favored player (Adam Scott) starts dropping shots with the certainty of water falling through a sieve, you wince and wonder what jobs need doing around the house. When another deserving player (Sam Burns) gets what appears to be a dodgy ruling that all but swallows his chances, you start reaching for the remote.

But then a couple of Brits — Tyrrell Hatton and Rob MacIntyre — look good for a moment (and impress you hugely later when displaying awesome sportsmanship). And a player you don’t know that much about (J.J. Spaun), who has bravely weathered a front-nine storm not entirely of his own making, rolls in a couple of birdie putts. And it’s game on.

At the penultimate hole, this vaguely familiar player hits a piercing drive that scampers 20 feet past the flag, and he two-putts for a birdie. At the last, he hits another superlative drive and, after a perfectly adequate approach, gives himself two putts for victory. He only needs one — one exceptional putt he must start at least five feet left of the target and which curves inexorably into the hole.

After learning about his early struggles on the Canadian Tour, you appreciate how hard Spaun has had to work to get where he is. After analyzing it closely, you learn how neat his swing is. After watching how he conducts himself with total class in the aftermath of his unexpected victory, you see what a good guy he is. On reflection, you celebrate how he turned a U.S. Open that looked like being a bit of a downer into an exciting and memorable event.

And, just like that, you realize you’re now a firm fan.