JJ Spaun wins U.S. Open after big finish at Oakmont

JJ Spaun secured his maiden Major Championship title in style as he holed a 65-foot birdie putt on the last to win the weather-affected U.S. Open by two shots.

The American began the day one shot behind third-round leader Sam Burns but his chances of winning looked to have gone up in smoke after he carded five bogeys in his first six holes on Sunday.

But a 90-minute delay due to dangerous weather just after 4pm local time changed things for World Number 25 Spaun as he drained lengthy putts at the 12th and 14th to take the outright lead on level par, with the other challengers slipping backwards in the heavy rain at Oakmont Country Club.

A bogey at the 15th dropped him into a five-way tie for the lead as the competition began to heat up, but he made a close-range birdie on the 17th to take a one-stroke lead to the 18th tee.

Knowing Robert MacIntyre was safely in the clubhouse on one over par, Spaun needed a par on the last to avoid a play-off.

But he went one better, rolling in his monster birdie try to the delight of the home fans to reach one under par and wrap up a memorable victory.

Scotland's MacIntyre finished alone in second, one shot ahead of his Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland on two over.

The leading contenders were given a timely reminder of how difficult Oakmont can be as they began their final rounds, with those at the top sliding backwards early on.

Despite carding three bogeys and no birdies on the front nine, Burns remained the man to catch at the turn.

But as he ran into further trouble on the back nine, Spaun was on hand to take full advantage.

Having recovered from following up three opening bogeys with two more on the fifth and sixth, Spaun seemed to return from the weather delay with renewed focus.

He followed up five straight pars from the seventh with a 40-foot birdie at the 12th to get his first birdie of the day.

And he was not finished there, sinking another lengthy putt on the 14th for the solo lead.

Spaun then bounced back from a bogey on the 15th with a delightful tee-shot at the 17th, which set up a two-putt birdie and put him in control with one hole remaining.

And he saved his best until last, finding the 18th green in two before holing from long range to secure the title.

The 34-year-old, who lost out to Rory McIlroy in a play-off at THE PLAYERS Championship earlier in the year, said at his trophy presentation: "I never thought I would be here holding this trophy.

"I've always had aspirations and dreams but I never knew what my ceiling was, I never knew how good I could be but I'm just proud that I've been resilient in my career and pushed through a lot of things. Just trying to be the best golfer I can be.

"And I'm happy to display that today at Oakmont.

"It's a dream weekend scenario, on Father's Day. To have my two kids here is just awesome and it's a cherry on top of a wonderful week."

Spaun added: "It's definitely like a story book, fairy-tale ending, kind of underdog fighting back, not giving up, never quitting. With the rain and everything and then the putt, I mean, you couldn't write a better story. I'm just so fortunate to be on the receiving end of that."