U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

June 14, 2025

J.J. Spaun

Oakmont Country Club

Flash Interview

THE MODERATOR: J.J. Spaun, 1-under 69, I know not how you wanted to finish on 18 but an under-par round on a Saturday at a U.S. Open. What's your mindset right now?

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, I'm just happy I'm still within shouting distance going into tomorrow. 18's just a tough hole, kind of if you're out of position. I was already lucky to have a clean lie, somewhat of a clean lie on the second shot. But, you know, bogeys happen at Oakmont, and I still got 18 holes tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Is this the best three days of golf you've ever played in your life?

J.J. SPAUN: I think it's pretty close to THE PLAYERS this year, earlier this year, when I was leading after three rounds. Yeah, if you want to sum it up, yeah, this is the best I've played in my career, for sure.

Q. Both at THE PLAYERS and then the last couple days you've shown a lot of toughness that definitely proves something to people who are just becoming more and more familiar with your game. Have you proved something to yourself with how you've held tough in both of those situations?

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, I'm trying to just let the course come to me. I'm not putting too much pressure -- and I think it's easy to not have the expectations out at a U.S. Open, especially like Oakmont, to have to feel like you got to get everything up-and-down or convert, so I'm just like, okay, if I make a bogey, I make a bogey. Everybody's making bogeys.

So I think the key is not making double bogeys. So, yeah, the grit that I'm showing this week has kind of went along well with that mentality of just kind of plugging along and taking what the course gives me.

Q. For a group of people that probably won't be in the position you're in right now, is it fun being in contention at a U.S. Open? Is it miserable? Is it some other word?

J.J. SPAUN: No, it's fun. I mean, this is the first time for me to be in contention in a major, I think, yeah. I mean THE PLAYERS is an unofficial major, I guess, but yeah, it's fun. I mean it's kind of everything that you prepare and hope to have the opportunity to have at these big events, let alone just getting into them are so hard.

That was me a year ago -- I mean a year and prior, like I couldn't even get into these tournaments. So to see myself here qualifying off World Ranking just based off how I've been playing all year was a nice treat. But then to kind of back up how I've been doing all year and be in contention is fun.

Q. Did the way the golf course played today versus maybe the last couple days, was it a different experience for you?

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, I mean we had a wind switch before we even teed off. Like it's been a south-southwest every day, or like a westerly south sort of direction. Actually yesterday towards the end of the day it switched to this direction, but we only played about four or five holes in that. So given that and how soft and wet everything was, it played longer, but it kind of allowed for longer irons in to really stop. You were able to control your landing spot, just because of how soft they were.

So it was different, but I don't know if we're going to get any rain. I haven't really looked. But I assume if we do, it will be similar tomorrow.

Q. You'll have a lot of time between now and your tee time tomorrow. What do you plan to do?

J.J. SPAUN: Yeah, I'm going to get some dinner, probably have my wife order some room service for me. She's back at the hotel with our two girls. They're probably going to bed any minute now. So, yeah, I'm going to take a little cold plunge and kind of cool off and head back home and get some good food, and I'll probably be tired or I'll probably go to bed because I'm pretty exhausted.

Q. Were you able to just focus on your game or do you feel like you and Sam kind of pushed each other out there today?

J.J. SPAUN: I was trying to focus on my game. It seemed like we were kind of back and forth; he would take the lead, I would take the lead, I would fall back, whatever. But it was fun. You can't really play against your opponent; you got to play this course.

Like there's just so much on demand with every shot. One loose shot you can really make a big number pretty easily. So you're just trying to stay in the moment, stay in the present, play the shot that it's requiring and commit to every shot that you have, and that's kind of all you can do. I try to just stick, stay in my own lane.