New Delhi: American JJ Spaun's win on Sunday at the US Open, the third major golf tournament of the year that is always held on challenging courses designed to test the skills of the game's best, is a remarkable underdog tale that illustrates the power of perseverance.

The 34-year-old from California won by two strokes at Oakmont, perhaps the most merciless course in the world, which, after rain, created even more chaos during the final round, resulting in a 90-minute delay. Skill was less important than patience and temperament due to the soaked fairways, wind, thick roughs, and deep bunkers. Spaun, however, hit perhaps two of the best shots ever to win a major: the first was a driver off the tee that reached the green on the 309-yard, par-4 17th hole, where he two-putted for birdie to take a crucial one-shot lead.

With concerns about what a steady drizzle and poor judgment might cause in the end, Spaun made a remarkable birdie from 64 feet, 5 inches, the longest putt of the tournament, while he only needed to two-putt to win on the last hole. With this, he defeated Scotland's Robert MacIntyre by two shots.

The circumstances, together with his own putting, even left the globe. Scottie Scheffler, in first place, was humbled to be tied for seventh with former Spanish winner Jon Rahm at four over. After a final round of two-over 72, Spaun became the only player to finish the tournament under par with a score of 1-under 279. Sam Burns, the overnight leader, shot an 8-over 78, while Adam Scott of Australia, who was 44 years old and chasing a major after 12 years in the last pairing, shot a 9-over 79.

Overjoyed, Spaun leapt into his caddie's arms after watching closely the path that Norway's Viktor Hovland took for his putt from the same lie before sinking it. He then celebrated with his wife and two young daughters. The prizes for winning the national championship included a $4.3 million cheque, the Jack Nicklaus gold medal, and a boost in the world rankings to eighth place.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard,” Spaun stated when discussing how to stay in the moment. “I wasn’t sure whether I had a two-shot advantage. I didn't want to do anything foolish in an attempt to save a three-putt or anything like that.

Spaun's final round consisted of two segments. Spaun, who was one off overnight leader Sam Burns, was five over for the first six holes when intense rain caused the lengthy break. His swing coach Josh Schriber and short game coach Josh Gregory gave him a pep talk, enhancing his concentration and self-assurance. Spaun's three-under finish in the last seven holes, capped off by two winning birdies, resulted in a life-changing triumph that seemed like magic.

"Even though things were going poorly, I still attempted to devote myself to every shot." "I tried to just keep digging deep," Spaun remarked. "I've been doing it my entire life."

Even the 2025 season might never have occurred if they had won. Spaun, who became a professional in 2017, had battled with a lack of confidence in his abilities. Despite winning his first PGA Tour event at the Texas Open in 2022, he experienced such mental anguish that he wished to quit anytime he was in contention. With his PGA Tour ranking plummeting to 119 late last year—only the top 125 retain their cards—Spaun even asked if he might stop playing and become a golf pro at any club.

His breakthrough came in March at The Players Championship, where he placed second. He went into the water on the famous par-3 17th hole of Florida's TPC Sawgrass course, which led him to lose a three-hole playoff to Rory McIlroy, but it increased his confidence. “That made him believe ‘I can be one of the best in the world’. "This will take him over the hump, and that validated it," Gregory said, according to pgatour.com.

The 2004 film Wimbledon, which tells the tale of a tennis player's comeback and Slam victory after almost quitting the sport, was also a source of motivation.

The PGA Tour just came up with another lovely tale. Ben Griffin, a 29-year-old American golfer, earned his first individual victory on the PGA Tour last month at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The Colonial is one of five high-stakes invitational tournaments. After losing his Korn Ferry Tour (feeder series) card because of financial strain and burnout, Griffin quit playing in 2021. Prior to being convinced to come back to golf, he worked as a mortgage loan officer. He placed T10 on Sunday.

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