On Sunday evening, JJ Spaun sunk a miracle 65-foot putt to win the US Open by two strokes and achieve a life-long dream of becoming a Major champion.
In the preceding decade or so, very few people would have predicted that moment would ever occur – least of all, the man himself.
Go back further, and the odds were stacked against Spaun from the start. Growing up in California, he received no formal golf lessons but showed real promise and eventually went on to play golf as a walk-on for San Diego State University.
Having built his golf game organically, Spaun enjoyed a fantastic college career before turning professional in 2012 and starting life on the PGA Tour Canada. Fast forward to 2025 and Spaun used all of that grit and determination to stick with it and earn himself a place in golfing history forever.
Looking back on his entire journey to this point, Spaun said: “I grew up watching golf. I was a young kid, wanted to play golf. I loved golf. It was a passion for me growing up. I always played with my parents growing up. One thing led to another.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“I wasn’t really groomed to be a professional golfer. I didn’t get put through academies. I didn’t play the AJGA. I played local stuff. I did qualify for my first big USGA event, which was the US Junior, actually. I did that two times when I was like 16 and 17.
“That’s kind of when I realized my potential. I just kept going, like one foot in front of the other. Junior golf, college golf, turning pro, and now here I am with the US Open trophy.”
While Spaun’s path to the pros was far from the usual route taken by many of his peers, it certainly hardened his mentality for once he reached the paid ranks.
The man who would go on to follow in the footsteps of so many of the game’s greats by winning a Major has found the overwhelming majority of his professional career to be a really, really tough slog. Thankfully for Spaun, he is made of strong stuff.
A post by Monday Q Info’s Ryan French on X highlighted Spaun’s history in the game, year by year, and how he had rarely enjoyed much success but toiled extremely hard to reach this point.
When you see him hoist the giant check, remember the journey there: 2013: Made just $11,775 on Canadian Tour2014: Made one cut and made $825 in Canada2015: Won…
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