Walking on egg shells pays off for US Open leader Spaun

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania - J.J. Spaun could not escape the talk about how punishing a set-up Oakmont Country Club is, and while that left him plenty nervous, the unheralded American felt the threat of danger at every turn helped power him to the first-round US Open lead on June 12.

Spaun, three years removed from his lone win on the PGA Tour, did not just outplay the game’s biggest stars in the opening round of the year’s third Major but also carded only the eighth bogey-free round in a US Open at Oakmont.

While big names like Scottie Scheffler (73),Bryson DeChambeau (73) and Rory McIlroy (74) all struggled, Spaun signed off for a four-under 68 that left him with a one-shot lead over South African Thriston Lawrence.

“I was actually pretty nervous,” said Spaun, who finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship in March. “But I actually tried to harness that, the nerves, the anxiety, because it kind of heightens my focus, makes me swing better.

“I kind of get more in the zone, whereas if I don’t have any worry or if Im not in it mentally, it’s kind of just a lazy round or whatever out there.”

Despite being nervous, Spaun was a picture of calm as he made his way around a course that has a reputation for being kick-your-teeth-in tough given the dense rough that lines the skinny fairways which lead to super-slick greens.

Spaun, who began his day on the back nine, left his approach at the par-four 10th in thick rough beside the green but calmly chipped in from 20 feet away and never looked back.

The 34-year-old American added three more birdies before the turn and then parred each hole on his inward nine.

South Korean Kim Si-woo, whose birdie attempt