US Open: Who’s JJ Spaun? Introducing a daily PGA Tour contender and America’s early main chief at Oakmont

As Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy made sluggish begins to their US Open title challenges, JJ Spaun continued his career-changing season by grabbing a history-making lead.

Spaun set the clubhouse goal with a surprising four-under 66 on Thursday morning, the place he carded the one bogey-free spherical of the day and equalled the perfect begin to a US Open at Oakmont Nation Membership.

There have been zero bogey-free rounds in 2007 at Oakmont and Dustin Johnson was the one participant to handle it throughout his victory right here in 2016, whereas Spaun’s spectacular begin – in a wave the place solely 5 gamers completed beneath par – was the primary bogey-free spherical of his main profession.

“I kind of came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect even US Open-wise,” Spaun admitted. “This is only my second one. I don’t know if that freed me up in any aspect, but I just tried to take what the course gave me.

“I hit numerous good pictures and tried to capitalise on any birdie alternatives, which are not very many out right here. However I scrambled rather well, too, which is a large part to enjoying effectively at a US Open, not to mention shoot a bogey-free spherical. I am simply overly happy with how I began!”

Spaun’s scorching begin was one shot higher than closest challenger Thriston Lawrence after the morning wave, with DeChambeau seven strokes again after an opening-round 73 and McIlroy an additional shot behind after dropping six pictures in an eight-hole stretch.

Is Spaun’s quick begin a shock?

A chip-in on the par-four tenth – his opening gap of the day – was one in every of 4 birdies for Spaun, who scrambled brilliantly and transformed six putts from par of seven ft or longer throughout his first spherical.

Spaun has by no means posted a top-20 end in a significant and is and not using a PGA Tour title for the reason that 2022 Valero Texas Open, his solely victory up to now, though he has jumped from outdoors of the world 100 to inside the highest 25 after a powerful begin to the season.

“JJ Spaun is a really good player and is a guy who is improving every year on the PGA Tour,” former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley instructed Sky Sports activities. “He’s trending well, with two seconds and a third place this year, so this is not a springer out of nowhere.

“This a superb participant who’s having a very good season. He saved the ball in entrance of him, which is vital, and did not go away himself pictures into hassle. He putted magnificently and was probably the greatest putters throughout his opening spherical.

“He’ll hang around and I don’t think he’s going to fall away from the leaderboard, just like he did at TPC Sawgrass when he pushed Rory McIlroy right to the line and into a play-off.”

‘I have been persistently there’ – Spaun’s season thus far

Spaun took a one-shot lead into the ultimate spherical of the Sony Open in January, the place a penultimate-hole bogey and shutting par on a par-five left him in tied-third and one shot outdoors of the play-off.

He completed tied-second a number of weeks later on the Cognizant Traditional, having carded a bogey-free 66 on the ultimate day, earlier than a superb efficiency at The Gamers noticed him drag McIlroy right into a Monday play-off.

Spaun held a 54-hole lead at TPC Sawgrass and recovered from a mid-round wobble to birdie two of his final 4 holes, taking him right into a play-off when McIlroy blew his late lead, however a triple-bogey on the second additional gap ended his hopes.

The American additionally made robust begins with opening rounds of 66 and 67 respectively on the RBC Heritage and Truist Championship, each Signature Occasions on the PGA Tour, whereas he made a 66-68 begin on his strategy to a tied-sixth end on the Charles Schwab Problem.

“I’ve been consistently right there,” Spaun stated. “Everyone knows that the more you put yourself there, the better you’re going to have results and the better you’re going to play, then eventually turn one of those close calls into a win.

“The Gamers was a type of spring into the self-belief as a result of it wasn’t like I faked it. You may possibly pretend it on the Sony and Cognizant or no matter, however to do this at The Gamers, a course the place I might by no means executed effectively traditionally…

“To go head-to-head with Rory on Sunday, and then the play-off was great for my confidence. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but it was great for me to kind of lean back on that experience and know that I can perform on the biggest of stages and handle it with the pressure.”

‘I’ve nothing to lose’ – may Spaun declare maiden main?

The final three US Open winners at Oakmont opened with a spherical under-par, whereas 23 of the final 26 US Open champions had been inside 4 of the lead after the opening day, with Spaun able to construct on his begin and early-season type and problem for a maiden main title.

“It definitely makes me feel good, makes me feel confident that I’m leading the tournament,” Spaun added. “However yeah, there’s lots extra golf left and this course is barely going to get harder.

“I just think I’m trying to feel like I have nothing to lose. That was kind of my mantra at The Players when I was playing really well at that tournament and going into Sunday with the lead. It was like, I feel like I have nothing to lose.

“So I’ll roll with that once more this week, and hopefully it will end up extra in my favour.”

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