Scottie Scheffler was unable to add the US Open to his impressive list of achievements and in the end, he didn’t even get his second choice outside of himself as winner.
Scheffler was there or thereabouts but couldn’t quite make the putts needed when it mattered.
The world number one still finished inside the top 10 but it was J.J. Spaun who held his nerve to win, making a stunning lengthy putt on the last to put the icing on the cake.
Spaun recovered well from a nightmare opening nine holes and managed to comfortably overhaul the likes of Sam Burns and Adam Scott in front of him.
Of course, for Sam Burns – who is a good friend of Scheffler – it was yet more heartbreak on a back nine for the American.
And furthermore, it represented a blow to Scheffler as well.
Scottie Scheffler says why he wanted Sam Burns to win the US Open
Scheffler was disappointed not to get the win himself but as usual, he was in a positive mood in speaking to the media afterwards.
Indeed, pressed on if he’d be rooting for his good friend Burns to get the win, Scheffler admitted it was time for him to cheer him on.
“I see something from Sam every week that makes me believe he’s going to have a good week. Sam is a really talented player, he’s one of my best friends in the whole world. He’s got the talent to do it,” Scheffler said.
“I’m going to be in front of the TV cheering him on now. I was cheering myself on most of the day, and now the tides have turned and it’s time for me to cheer him on, hopefully a big finish for him, and we’ll see what happens.
“We talked about some stuff this morning. Obviously it was kind of a weird spot because I wasn’t in the lead, but I had a chance in the tournament. Sam made the comment, ‘Hey, I know you’re trying to win, but have you got anything for me?’ We had a good chat this morning. That’s not really for me to share with you guys. If he wants to share that, that’s up to him,” he added.
“We’ve had some great experiences over the years. He’s beat me in a playoff before, and I’ve been able to win some tournaments as well. Like I said, now it’s time for me just to cheer him on and see what he can do.”
With Spaun getting the win, it means Burns’ wait for a major goes on, while both players are vying to make the Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black.
Scottie Scheffler might end up playing with J.J. Spaun at the Ryder Cup
Spaun has been playing well all year and he was on course to be in the mix to make the team anyway.
Now though, with a US Open win, he will rocket up the rankings and will surely be part of Keegan Bradley’s plans for Bethpage.
Spaun’s sheer determination to come back from the dead in this tournament basically means he has shown the grit and desire that makes a top match-play player.
Spaun and Scheffler, then, might well end up being Team USA’s big weapon come September.
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