Unless you are living in a bunker (an underground shelter, not a sandy pit on the course), you saw what J.J. Spaun did to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Spaun got off to a dreadful start Sunday, making bogey on five of his first six holes. He appeared to shoot himself out of the tournament as Sam Burns took the lead.
Just when all looked lost, inclement weather forced a stoppage of play. It was just the kind of reset that Spaun needed.
What happened next will go down in U.S. Open lore.
He made how many feet worth of putts?
After the delay, the 34-year-old journeyman went nuclear.
It started on the par-5 12th as he was faced with a long downhill 40-footer for birdie. Spaun gently coaxed it down the slope and watched as it caught the right side of the hole.
Suddenly, he vaulted back into contention.
After a par on the 13th, Spaun holed a 22-foot birdie putt at the 14th. He faltered with a bogey on No. 15 but would hit a clutch tee shot on the drivable par-4 17th that set up a fairly straightforward two-putt birdie.
But enough about that. The moment everyone will remember came on the 72nd hole.
Leading by one stroke, Spaun split the fairway and then hit his second shot to 64 feet. He would need a two-putt par to secure the title, no easy task given the slopes he had to traverse.
Miraculously, his playing partner, Viktor Hovland, hit an approach shot that landed just past Spaun’s ball. Hovland putted first on a nearly identical line, showing Spaun the exact speed and break that would be required.
Spaun took full advantage. The putt he hit will go down in major championship history forever.
That putt secured Spaun the biggest moment of his career.
It also made for a phenomenal stat: Spaun made 136 feet of putts over his final seven holes.
Also, the putt on the 18th hole was the longest putt any player made all week.
The L.A.B putter he won with
Spaun had a great putting week overall, finishing second in the field and gaining more than 10 shots against his competition.
He accomplished all of that with a L.A.B. DF3. If you’re a regular MGS reader, you will be familiar.
This is just the latest feather in the cap for L.A.B., which has been exploding in popularity. Adam Scott, Will Zalatoris, Phil Mickelson and Lucas Glover are just a few of the pros who have one in their bag.
Should you add one as well? It’s a question worth asking.
JJ Spaun’s L.A.B. DF3 Specs
- Length: 34 inches
- Lie Angle: 70 degrees
- Shaft: L.A.B. Golf x TPT Golf
- Shaft Lean: 2 degrees
- Alignment Marking: Single line (D)
- Color: Charcoal
- Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Studio Design
Top Photo Caption: J.J. Spaun wielded a L.A.B. DF3 to victory this past weekend. (GETTY IMAGES/Andrew Redington)
Andrew
3 weeks ago
LAB is a gimmick, it’ll pass like most do. Top 2 golfers on the planet use a Spider putter.