Father of the year
U.S. Open 2025: J.J. Spaun didn’t get much sleep Sunday night, but not for the reason you might think
J.J. Spaun celebrates with his wife and daughters Violet (yellow) and Emerson on the 18th green at Oakmont after winning the U.S. Open.
Warren Little
OAKMONT, Pa. — J.J. Spaun can look back on it now and laugh, U.S. Open trophy firmly in his grasp, fairytale story completed. But the way the 34-year-old journeyman started his Sunday march to a major championship title was anything but ordinary. Or maybe it was all too ordinary if you know what it’s like being a parent to two young children.
While Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler talked about spending the morning before winning majors wondering if they were worthy of the moment, Spaun was too busy running to CVS to help his younger daughter Violet to have a deep philosophical conversation with himself.
“She had a stomach bug and was vomiting all night long,” Spaun said. “I was just like, ‘OK, my wife was up at 3 a.m., and she's like, Violet is vomiting all over. She can't keep anything down. It was kind of a rough start to the morning. I'm not blaming that on my start, but it kind of fit the mold of what was going on, the chaos.”
More From Golf Digest
Spaun, who played in the second to last pairing and was one shot back of leader Sam Burns, made bogeys on five of his first six holes Sunday and seemingly played is way out of contention. But then a rain storm forced a 96-minute stoppage of play, allowing Spaun to reset with 10 holes remaining. Upon his return, he made four birdies, including back-to-back on the 17th and 18th holes to pull out a surprise victory with a closing 72 and a one-under 279 total score.
Thankfully, Violet looked like she had recovered during the day as she was behind the 18th green with her older sister Emerson and mother Melody watching dad make his 64-foot birdie putt on the last hole to win the championship.
“It was a very touching moment to see my girls there,” Spaun said. “My oldest daughter, she was at the Valero when I won [in 2022], and she was about the same age as my youngest daughter now. It was so cool to just have my whole family there on Father's Day. It's just incredible. I have no words to describe the moment and them being able to see me as the winner.”
Needless to say, Spaun’s family has served as a big inspiration to the golfer, particularly over the last few years as he struggled with injury and questioned whether his pro career might be coming to a close. Spaun admits that just last June he was afraid he was about to lose his PGA Tour card and might be at the end of the line after nine seasons on tour.
“My daughter always asks me every time dad goes golfing, she's like, 'Were you the winner today?' Sometimes I'm like, 'Yeah, I was.' She's like, 'Where's my surprise?' So today she's like, 'You're the winner today.' Like she got to see it. She didn't have to ask me. So that was a really fun moment.”
A lot more fun than a 3 a.m. CVS run.