How J.J Spaun's 'vibe change' after rain delay in final round led to 2025 U.S. Open win

Daniel Mader

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How J.J Spaun's 'vibe change' after rain delay in final round led to 2025 U.S. Open win image

For some golfers, a rain delay in the final round of a major tournament would be a significant rhythm-disruptor. Not J.J. Spaun.

Spaun, who won his first career major on Sunday in the 2025 U.S. Open, was off to a rough start in the fourth and final round of the tournament. After ranking among the leaders all weekend, he was in danger of falling out of contention during the biggest round of his career.

But following a weather delay that halted the U.S. Open for over an hour, Spaun turned his day around, coming up clutch to win it all on the final two holes.

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Here's why Spaun said Sunday's weather delay at the U.S. Open was a "vibe change" that eventually resulted in the biggest win of his career.

MORE J.J. SPAUN: 

J.J. Spaun's 'vibe change' after rain delay results in U.S. Open victory

In the first three rounds of the U.S. Open, which was expected to be anybody's tournament at an Oakmont course known to be challenging, Spaun sat at -3 overall, shooting a 66 in Round 1, a 72 in Round 2 and a 69 in Round 3 on the 70-par course.

As he came into Sunday, Spaun had a real shot at his first major victory, but in the first few hours of his performance in Round 4, he nearly watched that dream evaporate into thin air.

Spaun bogeyed each of his first three holes in Round 4, carded a par on No. 4, then bogeyed consecutive holes again on 5 and 6. Through just six holes in the final round of the U.S. Open, he was crumbling, sitting at +5 on the day and +2 overall. He also had some terrible luck, such as hitting the flagstick on No. 2 after an otherwise-excellent shot.

Here's how Spaun's first nine looked on Sunday:

Hole123456789
Par444543434
Score555554434

But at Oakmont, where Spaun's winning score (-1) was the lone total below par, he wasn't out of contention yet. So, when a rain delay hit and Spaun was only through eight holes, he had an opportunity to turn his misfortune around.

Play was suspended around 4 p.m. as rain soaked the course.

After the delay, Spaun slowly climbed back toward the top of the leaderboard. As others struggled, losing the lead, he moved back up. He first had birdies on Holes 12 and 14, including a 40-foot putt.

While he did bogey on No. 15, Spaun rebounded once again on the final two holes of the day. On 17, a beautiful drive led to a birdie. 

He went with his driver and found the perfect part of the green, setting up his strong final two holes.

Just needing a par on 18 to win it, Spaun had another strong drive, then finished the job with the longest putt of the entire tournament: 64.5 feet.

Here's how Spaun fared in his back nine on Sunday, a clutch run that won him his first major after the bad weather:

Hole101112131415161718
Par445344344
Score444335333

After winning the U.S. Open, Spaun said that the weather delay changed the "whole vibe for the day," so he leaned on his previous experience to stage a comeback.

"I just kept pushing ... I bounced back and fought really hard on the back nine," Spaun said. "I never thought I would be here."

MORE: Full results, highlights from the 2025 U.S. Open 

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader is a Content Producer for The Sporting News. He joined SN in 2024 as an editorial intern following graduation from Penn State University. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. Daniel grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.