JJ Spaun's Dad Duties, The USGA's Questionable History With Sam Burns, Plus Winners And Losers From Oakmont

JJ Spaun became the most unlikely U.S. Open winner in recent history thanks to some crazy-impressive play down the stretch at Oakmont on Sunday. While the golf shots he managed to hit under major championship pressure are incredibly unrelatable, how his Sunday morning started is about as relatable as it gets for any fellow dads out there.

A Perfectly-Timed Rain Delay And The Shot Of A Lifetime Lead To JJ Spaun Becoming U.S. Open Champion

Sam Burns was among the group of players who had a legitimate chance of winning the U.S. Open on the back nine on Sunday afternoon, but stumbled mightily after a lengthy rain delay. Things officially came undone when he wasn't given free relief from a water-logged spot in the fairway, which is a moment that serves as a great reminder of his, let's call it, questionable history with the USGA.

Lastly, as another major championship is in the rearview, we need to discuss the winners and losers from the week that was. Welcome to another edition of Par Talk. As always, feel free to reach out via email at mark.harris@outkick.com or on the X machine @itismarkharris.

JJ Spaun's Early, Vomit-Filled Wake-up Call On U.S. Open Sunday

Getting quality sleep the night before playing in the penultimate pairing in the final round of the U.S. Open has to be borderline impossible. JJ Spaun had to endure that challenge on Saturday night, and ultimately failed as dad duties rest for no one, not even a professional golfer who is just one shot off the lead with 18 holes to play in a major championship.

But Spaun wouldn't have it any other way.

JJ Spaun celebrates winning the U.S. Open at Oakmont. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Speaking with reporters at Oakmont after making birdies on his final two holes on Sunday to earn a two-shot victory, Spaun was asked about how his morning was prior to heading to the golf course, and let's just say it didn't exactly go as planned.

"Today I was running to CVS in downtown because my daughter had a stomach bug and was vomiting all night long. I was just like, okay, my wife was up at 3:00 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," Spaun explained. 

"I'm not blaming that on my start, but it kind of fit the mold of what was going on, the chaos. I don't think I had any -- I didn't really -- like when I go back home after the round, my kids are there, and it's such a big distraction where I'm not even having to dwell on anything or think too much, which is a good thing."

Despite the chaotic early morning hours on Sunday, Spaun was thankful to have his family around him before chasing a dream. He was solo during this year's Players, which he lost in a playoff to Rory McIlroy.

"The Players was tough, I was alone that week, and I'm just kind of sitting there at night in my hotel room, like trying not to go on social media, trying not to go on Twitter or whatever, X. It's nice to be able to have the kids to be around and be a dad. That kind of keeps your mind off golf and kind of gets me in a calm, cool, collective mindset going into today."

Spaun and his wife, Melody, are parents to two daughters, both under the age of six.

Some parents out there may hear Spaun's recollection of his vomit-filled Sunday morning as a nightmare, but as he alluded to, there is something calming and therapeutic about being in the middle of the parenting chaos, just like you are at home before teeing it up in a life-changing round of golf as Spaun did on Sunday afternoon.

A CVS run and tending to a child with the stomach bug will certainly make the minutes move faster while waiting for your late-afternoon tee time at a major championship.

Sam Burns' Latest Run-In With The USGA

It's probably safe to assume that Sam Burns isn't the biggest fan of the USGA after he wasn't given free relief from a very questionable lie at Oakmont on Sunday, but that questionable decision by the governing body is just the latest odd chapter involving the Louisiana native.

After finding the fairway with his teeshot on the Par 4 15th hole on Sunday afternoon, Burns, who was tied for the lead at the time, believed his ball was sitting in enough temporary water that he was allowed free relief. After the 96-minute rain delay, players were taking relief from temporary relief from wet spots all over the golf course, but the rules official took a look at Burns' situation and told him he had to play it as it lies.

According to the rules of golf regarding temporary water, "it is not enough for the ground to be merely wet, muddy or soft or for the water to be momentarily visible as the player steps on the ground; an accumulation of water must remain present either before or after the stance is taken."

Burns called on another rules official to get a second opinion, only to be denied relief again. He went on to make a double bogey on the 15th hole after catching his approach shot heavy before ultimately finishing T-7.

Kyle Porter of Normal Sport was able to visit exactly where Burns hit his approach shot on the 15th hole, and it was sloppy, to put it mildly.

The USGA having not one, but two rules officials deeming this a perfectly fine condition to hit a golf ball from in a major championship is questionable, which is the appropriate adjective while discussing Burns and the USGA.

In 2017, Burns was named a first-team All-American and was the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year after a standout year at LSU where he won four times in 15 starts. He was a Top 25-ranked amateur in the world and went on to finish T-6 in the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship that July, and while he announced he would be turning pro and not return to Baton Rouge for his junior year, he waited to do so in order to represent the U.S. in the 2017 Walker Cup, a USGA event.

Only Burns didn't make the team.

The golf world was stunned by the decision by the USGA to exclude Burns from the squad after being named the college player of the year and contending in a PGA Tour event as an amateur. Again, it goes back to that word: questionable.

To Burns' credit, he reacted to being snubbed from the team with class.

The U.S. ended up dominating Great Britain & Ireland in the 2017 Walker Cup. Burns turned professional, and didn't wait too long to earn his first win on the Web.com (now the Korn Ferry Tour) in April 2018.

Winners And Losers From The 2025 U.S. Open At Oakmont

Winner: JJ Spaun: This one seems pretty obvious given the fact that he hoisted the trophy on Sunday evening. His driving of the green on the Par 4 17th, followed by an absolute seed of a drive down the 18th fairway after taking the solo lead, will go down as two of the greatest drives in U.S. Open history.

Loser: Adam Scott: It seems like a crime to have the word ‘loser’ attached to Adam Scott's name given the longevity of his career, his passion for the game, and what he's done for the sport from a global perspective for over two decades, but Sunday was a tough, tough watch for the Aussie. A final round 79 with just one lone birdie after starting the day just a shot back of the lead was less than stellar.

Winner: Carlos Ortiz: This week's U.S. Open marked Ortiz's tenth start in a major championship. In those previous nine starts, he had made just two cuts, with his best finish being a tie for 52nd in the 2019 U.S. Open. The whole world expected him to fall down the leaderboard on Sunday, but he managed to post a highly respectable 73 to finish T-4. The LIV player can strike a golf ball.

Loser: Joaquin Niemann: Fresh off of yet another LIV Golf win and the first Top 10 finish at a major in last month's PGA Championship, hopes had never been higher for Niemann to show serious life at the U.S. Open. He responded by going 75-75, missing the cut by three shots. Just one Top 10 major finish in 25 appearances screams ‘small game hunter.’

Winner: Viktor Hovland: Hovland had plenty of chances to win the U.S. Open on Sunday, but fell victim to a very cold putter on the weekend. While he absolutely falls into that camp of guys who shouldn't necessarily receive praise for finishing third in any golf tournament, he showed legitimate and perhaps sustainable life for the first time in quite a while. The approach and around-the-green game was elite, and hasn't looked closer to being back to the 2023 version of himself than he did at Oakmont this week.

Loser: Patrick Cantlay: The 33-year-old delivered yet another reminder that he is a PGA Tour golfer, not a major championship golfer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, either, but for being such a phenomenal fit on paper for practically every course and golf tournament in the world, he just has a knack for disappointing. A missed cut, in large part due to a lifeless opening round of 76, is the exact opposite of a confidence builder.

Winner: Oakmont: The final winner of the week is the golf course itself. Criticisms began to grow over the weekend about Oakmont creating a boring viewing experience, but in reality, it checked every box the golf world was begging for heading into the week. Plus, you add elements to the mix on Sunday, and it was about as unique as a U.S. Open venue gets.

One player finished under par, Spaun, and the golf course created a test that produced a winner who was the best golfer over the course of four days. Those claiming Oakmont was playing too difficult or made for a boring weekend are wrong, and they certainly can't be the same people who were screaming about how the best players in the world needed to struggle for four days. Oakmont delivered, full stop