Just a few months ago, J.J. Spaun’s triple bogey on St. Patrick’s Day ended his dream of winning his second career title after three years. Rory McIlroy ran away with the title and a win of the flagship PGA Tour event, THE PLAYERS Championship. Today, the American pro aimed higher and tried to achieve a much bigger goal, and he prevailed.

After scoring five bogeys in the first six holes, you would think Spaun was out of contention at Oakmont. However, after a small delay and a big fightback, the 34-year-old has ticked off one goal from his checklist, winning a major. He is the 2025 U.S. Open champion on a course that has only seen the best of the best lift the title. He joins a prestigious list of golfers like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, and Larry Nelson to win the major at Oakmont Country Club. And he achieved that feat with one of the most unbelievable putts in history.

Sitting 64 feet away from the cup, Spaun had just seen Viktor Hovland‘s stroke from around the same spot. He knew what he had to do, and he did it ever so accurately. The putt was perfectly placed and in the exact line to drop down the middle of the hole. Yes, it was so accurate that it didn’t even touch either side of the rim. His putt and the eventual win got some big reactions from everyone, including Tyrrell Hatton, who was getting interviewed after completing his round.

Watching what was happening on the course, the Englishman said, “Oh, he has holed it. Unbelievable! What a putt to win! That’s incredible.” The reporter asked him, “What do you think he’s feeling right now?” Hatton precisely replied with “In shock!” as most fans saw Spaun celebrate one of the best putts he could have scored to win a major. The golf world also didn’t hold back as they applauded the 34-year-old for his efforts.

Surprised by the last stroke for the win, Justin Thomas wrote, “Holy…. That was INSANE. Congrats JJ!” He was as shocked by how Spaun achieved the feat as Hatton during the interview. Thomas and Hatton weren’t the only ones who praised J. J. Spaun for overcoming the mountainous task at the rain-soaked Oakmont.

You could also read Robert MacIntyre’s “wow” as he was applauded by the Californian for finishing things off in a spectacular fashion. Legend, Tom Watson, was also amazed by the performance as he tweeted, “What a historic finish after a really bad luck start today. You showed real guts. Congratulations, JJ Spaun, National Open Champion!” The eight-time major winner, who also has one U.S. Open title to his name in 1982, was happy to welcome J.J. Spaun to the club. For the 34-year-old to make a comeback after scoring 5 bogeys in the front nine, you would definitely require “real guts” to still stay in contention and win it in the end.

Paying respect to the 2025 U.S. Open champion for his amazing win, Billy Horschel said, “Take a bow @JJSpaun!!!! 👏👏👏👏” No better way to applaud his peer’s achievement than by ‘taking a bow’ for him. Interestingly, Horschel has yet to win a major of his own. He came really close to fulfilling the dream in the 2024 Open Championship before Xander Schauffele took it away.

Spaun’s pairing for the final day, Viktor Hovland, couldn’t believe what the former had pulled off to take home $ 4.3 M.

Hovland’s thoughts on J. J. Spaun’s big win 

Sitting down in a press conference, Spaun’s groupmate, Viktor Hovland, also had kind words to share about the former. He said, “That was unbelievable. After his start, it just looked like he was out of it immediately. Everyone came back to the pack. I wasn’t expecting that really. I thought I had to shoot maybe 3-under par today to have a good chance, but obviously the conditions got really, really tough, and this golf course is just a beast. Yeah, to watch him hole the putt on 12 down the hill there was unreal. And then he makes another one on 14 that was straight down the hill. And then the one on 18, it’s just absolutely filthy there.”

Perfectly recapping the scenes of the fourth round at Oakmont, Hovland had the best seats in the house as he saw his final round pairing rise from the ashes to triumph in the end. He was the closest to Spaun when the latter pulled off that stunning putt to claim the U.S Open title.

Another golfer who also congratulated the newest major winner was Michael Kim. He tweeted, “Dropped out of coverage to 65ft birdie putt and a US Open trophy. Unreal Congrats to JJ!” He was just as amazed by the putt to win at Oakmont as anyone else.

It’s worth noting that the 64-foot shot was also the longest putt scored in the 2025 U.S. Open. What an extraordinary way to win your first major, J.J. Spaun,!