As he stood on the ninth tee box in the pouring rain, it looked for all the world like J.J. Spaun had just played his way out of contention for the 125th US Open championship. A few hours later,

We spent three hours with J.J. Spaun after his U.S. Open victory to find out what goes on behind the scenes after winning a major title.

The United States’ national championship requires skill obviously, but also grit and resilience. Withstanding the test that a course, in this year’s case Oakmont, throws at you over and over and over again is not for the faint of heart.

The US Open continued Friday at Oakmont. The leaderboard took shape as the cut line loomed. Here are updates and scores.

The US Open Thursday at Oakmont was unforgettable with JJ Spaun showing the way. Here are highlights and scores from the first round.

JJ Spaun won the US Open with a two-shot victory over Scotlands Bob MacIntyre; Englands Tyrell Hatton tied-fourth after bogey-bogey finish; pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler five strokes back

Spaun, who up until Sunday had a grand total of one (1) PGA Tour victory to his credit, won the U.S. Open on talent, yes. But he won it on tenacity, too, and bend-but-don’t-break mental toughness. He won it because he hung around long enough to make exactly the right move at exactly the right moment.

On a day built for umbrellas, J.J. Spaun reversed his own free fall, took advantage of everyone else’s and hit two shots that turned him into a major champion.

It was a true Father’s Day triumph for J.J. Spaun, who revealed he was making a 3 a.m. CVS run on Sunday morning tending to his daughter’s stomach bug — just hours before winning the US Open.