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  • JJ Spaun WITB (15th June, 2025) - What's In The Bag? The US Open @ Oakmont Golf and Country Club

JJ Spaun WITB (15th June, 2025) - What's In The Bag? The US Open @ Oakmont Golf and Country Club

Spaun’s launcher is deep and murderous. The Titleist GT3 and husky Ventus Black VeloCore+ give him 280‐yard fairway bombs with the feel of a guided missile. Effortless power, ruthless control—this is Spicy J’s boom stick.

June 16, 2025

🎩 JJ Spaun’s Oakmont Masterclass

Let’s set the stage: Oakmont, U.S. Open, Sunday. Sunshine, sweat, and narrow enough fairways to make you consider a career in weed-whacking. Enter JJ Spaun—aka “Spicy J,” “Captain Spaunic,” or “The Bay Area Bandit”— strolling past the 18th fairway with more confidence than your friend who insists avocado toast is “investment portfolio material.”

This isn’t a story about a fluke, a Sunday scramble, or a cameo from a fashion-forward caddie. No. This is a tale of drama so good you’d think Netflix was paying JJ for streaming rights. He racked up birdies like he was DJing them, scattered pars like confetti, and held on longer than a toddler ignoring bedtime.

Let’s rewind: on Saturday, JJ was floundering. Missed putts, hacked chips—he looked more lost than a vegan at a Texas BBQ. Then he woke up Sunday and everything aligned. It was a classic “Holy hell, where did this come from?” moment. He strapped up in the morning, straightened his cap, and unleashed the kind of ball-striking that had everyone checking their Twitter feeds to see if Oakmont caught fire.

By the time he stepped onto the 18th tee, he was the hunted and the hunter. Brooks, Cam, McIlroy—none of them mattered. This was Spaun's moment. Even the gallery started whispering “he’s gonna do it,” which is golf-spectator code for “holy hockey puck, stay calm.”

Then came the clincher. A drive that smacked into the fairway harder than a divorce settlement, a precise iron that made the green release a birdie rumble, and a putt—oh, that putt—from 60 feet that dropped like destiny. A fist pump so hard it registered on the Richter scale. Oakmont erupted, the gallery swooned, and JJ wandered off like he’d just gone for a Sunday stroll.

What made it so edgy? First, he’s not a headline machine. No corporate sponsorship photo ops, no viral TikToks. Just a guy grinding on mini-tour Mondays and collecting sleep after near football-sized thunderstorms. This was his first major, and he gamely hustled off automatically, wondering if this whole “Grand Slam” thing was a dangerous cheat code or actual reality.

Second, the drama. Saturday was uglier than motel carpet, Sunday was purty and powerful, and Sunday evening ... well, social media was throwing “best U.S. Open final round ever” into the ring.

But the best part? He’s from the Bay Area, where golf’s cool enough to be Californian. He rocked Oakmont like a laid-back surfer punk who got handed a golden driver mid-wave. This win wasn't just dramatic—it was refreshingly human. No mega-star expectations. Just a talented dude who showed up, hit bombs, sank clutch putts, and walked away with an oak trophy.

Now the golf world knows JJ Spaun—and not just because he'll appear on a cereal box or started an NFT. His win smacked of authenticity, adrenaline, and a shot of “why the hell not” swagger. It’s the kind of story that inspires—you never know whose U.S. Open could be just a playoff. Even if you're out there chip-hacking on Saturday.

He’s not just a champion—he’s a reminder that sometimes skill, grit, and a little bit of Sunday madness is enough to beat the best in the world. And for that, the golf world lifts a beer, a fist, and their jaws. Welcome to the future, folks. It’s called JJ Spaun’s U.S. Open.

🧰 JJ Spaun’s Equipment Breakdown

Driver: Titleist GT3 9°, Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 6X shaft
Spaun’s launcher is deep and murderous. The Titleist GT3 and husky Ventus Black VeloCore+ give him 280‑yard fairway bombs with the feel of a guided missile. Effortless power, ruthless control—this is Spicy J’s boom stick.

3 Wood: TaylorMade Qi10 15°, Mitsubishi Diamana PD 70TX shaft
Perfect for when precision trumps distance. Combination of Qi10’s hot face and the featherweight PD 70TX creates piercing mid-range strikes with buttery feedback and enough juice to flirt with 300 yards. Ideal for beating Oakmont’s Sunday ghost rough.

5 Wood: TaylorMade Qi10 18°, Mitsubishi Diamana PD 80TX shaft
This one’s the workhorse off the tee and in second-shot territory. He can rocket it off fairways or dial high approaches without screwing it up—thanks to the added stability of the PD 80TX shaft.

Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4), Srixon ZXi7 (5‑PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
The 4‑iron ZXi5 is a bomber. Clubface forgiveness with a tour‑level punch. The ZXi7s are pure precision tools—workable, reliable, stable. The X100 shafts keep everything crisp off the deck. Spaun grips them like precision axes, carving exact ball flights toward pins.

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50° (M), Cleveland RTZ 54 (F), Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore 60 (L), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts
This trio gives him full control around the greens. Low M‑grind for open‑stance chip artistry, F‑grind for bunker savagery, and L‑grind lob wizardry. With S400 shafts, feel and weight are dialed so that “mis‑touch” isn’t even recognized by the greens.

Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF3
This engineered flat-stick is his happy place. It locks stroke, stabilizes path, and looks like pool cue envy. JJ locks it in, strokes softly, and Oakmont reacts with birdies—like a mid‑week relief valve.

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Nothing wild—just classic feel. Soft, tacky, dependable. Kane cell grips for journeymen.

Ball: Srixon Z‑Star Diamond
Tour spin, mid‑flight stability, buttery around the greens. Spaun uses this because it doesn’t hide mistakes—it emphasizes the work he’s put in. This is a ball that forces precision in the best way possible.

Each club is set for balance: power, distance, precision. Nothing redundant. Every putter stroke, wedge bounce, driver launch is tuned for Sunday drama. And it delivered.

🏁 JJ Spaun: The Comeback Kid

He nearly quit once. Realistically, JJ Spaun nearly walked away from competitive golf. Between scraping mini-tour checks and pushing carts at NorCal courses, he faced the “why do I keep doing this?” moment more than once. Then came this spring—an emotional rollercoaster with a near-miss against Rory McIlroy at TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship). He birdied late, fought valiantly, and lost in a playoff—but it reminded him: he was nearly world-class.

That near miss energized him. If you can challenge McIlroy on the biggest stage in golf, you can do something. He doubled down on training. Fixed his swing plane. Brought in sports psychologists and fitness coaches. Then came the first top‑10s of the year. Then this week—the Oakmont bomb, the Sunday charge, the major trophy.

Stat-sheet lovers, pay attention: entering last week, Spaun was ranked just inside the top 50 in strokes gained‑tee‑to‑green. Not elite, but lethal enough. But after Sunday? He rose in the rankings—proving that what he nearly quit became undeniable presence.

What’s more, his putting improved enough to win clocks. One week, Sunday putting panic. Next: monster two-putt from twelve feet for the title. He’s improved from journeyman to deal-closer.

Now? He’s the most exciting underdog the tour’s seen in years. Not loud or abrasive—just damn consistent, excellent at ball striking, and blessed with the kind of grit that only comes when quitting is considered. Oakmont victory isn’t just a great week—it’s a career-seizing one.

Now other pros will remember this name differently. JJ Spaun: The man who stood up, said “Nope, not walking away yet,” and punched his first major win right into golf history. Odds now? The golf world might see him win again—or at least target majors next season with Red Bull-level energy.

From nearly quitting to top-tier finisher, from Players tear to Oakmont tears of joy, JJ Spaun’s journey is proof that sometimes the hunger comes later—and it can destroy majors when properly unleashed.

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond

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