[PHOTO: Andrew Redington]
In one of the most improbable wins in US Open history, J.J. Spaun started the final round with five bogeys in the first six holes, stood four shots behind with nine holes to play then came home in 32 to win at rain-laden Oakmont Country Club.
Spaun made four birdies coming home, dropping a 40-footer for birdie at the 12th hole to get within one of the lead before a 22-footer fell on 14 for birdie to take the lead at even-par for the championship.
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The shot of the tournament – and Spaun’s life – came at the 314-yard, uphill, par-4 17th where Spaun unleashed a tee shot that found the putting surface, settling 18 feet from the hole. The ensuing two-putt birdie gave him a one-shot cushion heading to 18 where a stunning birdie from 64 feet – the longest putt anyone made all week – sealed the first major title of his career.
Spaun’s driver is a 9-degree Titleist GT3 with a Fujikura Ventus Black Velocore+ 6X shaft. The GT drivers feature a face design that incorporates a thicker ring shape around the perimeter of the back of the face, while the middle of the face inside that ring uses a variable thickness pattern to maximise deflection.
Of course you don’t win a US Open without fine iron play. Spaun employed a split set of Srixon irons with the ZXi5 for the 4-iron and the sleeker ZXi7 for the rest of the set.
His putter is from perhaps the hottest putter company in golf. L.A.B. putters have become increasingly popular on tour and at retail, and Spaun’s DF3 mallet (which some say looks like a branding iron) harkens back to the company’s original Directed Force model, which featured a larger head.
That putter that looks like a branding iron – and made 136 feet of putts in the last seven holes – left its mark on US Open history.
The clubs J.J. Spaun used to win the 2025 US Open:
Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Driver: Titleist GT3 (Fujikura Ventus Black Velocore+ 6X), 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10, 15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10, 18 degrees
Irons (4): Srixon ZXi5; (5-PW): Srixon ZXi7
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore (50 degrees); Cleveland RTZ (54 degrees); Cleveland RTX6 (60 degrees)
Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF3
