Golf fans were left scratching their heads at a ‘bizarre’ ruling which helped JJ Spaun win the US Open in brutal conditions at Oakmont.
Spaun, 34, clinched by far the biggest win of his career as the only player to finish below par in the second major of 2025.
The American needed a par on the 18th to secure the victory, with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre waiting in the wings at +1 ahead of a possible play-off.
Two solid shots left Spaun with two putts for the win and he needed just one, sinking a stunning putt from 60 feet to become a Grand Slam winner.
Spaun has been in impressive form this season – losing a play-off in the Player’s Championship to Rory McIlroy, but he had never previously finished in the top-20 of a major.
The California-born golfer even considered walking away from the sport at one stage but his perseverance resulted in one of the game’s biggest trophies.
But the final round of the US Open – which was interrupted by a huge downpour which suspended play for almost two hours – did not occur without a fair amount of controversy.
Sam Burns had a share of the lead when he was controversially denied a drop for relief from standing water on the fairway of the 15th hole.
Burns, 28, asked for relief and appeared uncomfortable as several of his practice swings brought up water that had gathered on the right-hand side of the 15th fairway.
Ryder Cup legend Paul McGinley and Sky Sports on-course commentator Wayne Riley were both surprised by the ‘bizarre’ ruling from the official shadowing the final group.
‘He’s taken a practice swing and you can see splashes of water,’ Riley said before his shot. ‘I think he deserves a drop.’
McGinley added: ‘Yeah, I can’t believe he’s not getting a drop here. We’re watching him hit practice swings here and we can see the water splashing up.’
After Burns hooked his second shot into the deep rough, Riley added: ‘What was about that? We all know that was going to happen. That’s bizarre. The water coming up from the shot was incredible.’
What does the rule say?
Rule 16.1 – Abnormal Course Conditions:
Temporary Water is defined in The Rules as, ‘Any temporary accumulation of water on the surface of the ground (such as puddles from rain or irrigation or an overflow from a body of water) that: Is not in a penalty area, and can be seen before or after the player takes a stance (without pressing down excessively with their feet).’
You’re entitled to a free drop if your ball touches or is in or on the abnormal course condition – in this case the standing or temporary water.
From Golf Monthly
Burns went on to make a double-bogey on the 15th and another dropped shot on the next hole saw the American finish tied-fourth on +3.
The consensus from golf fans on social media appeared to be that Burns deserved a drop for relief, with some even labelling the decision a ‘robbery’.
After a disappointing end to a day that promised so much, Burns admitted he ‘disagreed’ with both the officials’ initial ruling and their decision not to allow for a ‘second opinion’.
‘It felt like the water got in the way’
‘When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up,’ he said. ‘I took practice swings and it’s just water splashing every single time.
‘Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed.
‘At the end of the day, it’s not up to me, it’s up to the rules official. That’s kind of that.
‘From that point, Travis and I said, Look let’s focus on the shot, try to execute. I did the best I could. I was 100 percent locked in on what I was trying to do.
‘Ultimately, it felt like the water just kind of got in the way, and I went left. It is what it is.’
Spaun recovered from a dismal front-nine to win the US Open by two shots.
‘I don’t think I did keep my composure (after unfortunate start) honestly with all the breaks I was getting,’ he said after lifting the trophy.
‘I was trying to just dig deep, hit some good shots coming in. The weather delay we had kind of changed the whole vibe for the day.
‘A similar thing happened to me at the Players and I kind of leaned on that whole experience. I came back and kept pushing and bounced back and fought really hard on the back nine.
‘I thought it [the winning putt] was a little short but it was right on the line. It was looking really good and it was one of those moments in major championships where that’s kind of what happens to seal the deal and I’m fortunate it was my time.’
With JJ Spaun seeing off MacIntyre, Europe Ryder Cup star Victor Hovland finishing third ahead of Cameron Young, Carlos Ortiz and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who all finished on +3.
World number one Scottie Scheffler battled to a seventh-place finish ahead of Jon Rahm and former Masters winner Adam Scott, whose final-day 79 saw him drop down the leaderboard.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
