J.J. Spaun Touches Hearts After Revealing CVS Rush for Daughter’s Health Battles Before Emotional Win

Oh, what a week it has been! From seeing the greats of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler struggling to find form to a defending champion missing the cut, the U.S. Open concluded on Sunday to add a new name to the major championships winners’ circle. J.J. Spaun fought against Adam Scott, Robert MacIntyre, and Sam Burns to claim his first major victory. “I never thought I would be here holding this trophy. I’ve always had aspirations and dreams, but a few months ago I didn’t know what my ceiling was and how good I could be,” Spaun said. But what made the victory even sweeter was that it coincided with Father’s Day, and Spaun left no stone unturned to perform his fatherly duties diligently, even just a few hours before his round.

The final day at Oakmont was quite chaotic, given that the torrential rains had flooded the course and caused significant delays. Spaun, who started the week with a brilliant 66 on the first day, fell short on the second when he carded a score of 2-over par. While he tried to do his best on the third day, with a 69, it was only on the final few holes of the fourth round that he turned things around. He started the day seven off the lead and made five bogeys in the first 6 holes. But four birdies on the back nine, including a 64-foot birdie putt to win, earned him the title. But the win did not come as easy as it sounds.

Just a few hours before he teed off on Sunday, Spaun had to wake up at 3 am because one of his two daughters, Violet, had a stomach bug and was vomiting all night. So Spaun had to make a CVS run in the wee hours of dawn to make sure his daughter was given the right treatment immediately. “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…,” Spaun told the media post his win.

And while he doesn’t blame the chaos start for his consecutive bogeys at the start, he did add that it was a rough start to the day—”It was kind of a rough start to the morning. 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 that I’m not even having to dwell on anything or think too much, which is a good thing.”

While players must receive as much rest as they can before every round, Spaun was clear about his priorities, and nothing comes before his family. And it is exactly this attitude of his that won hearts on the internet, and everyone has a new favourite major champion.