Well, folks, grab your putter and brace yourself for another summer when golf delivered more drama than my last attempt at a downhill four-footer (don’t ask). Summer 2025 gave us underdogs, overachievers, and enough surprise winners to make your fantasy league implode. Let’s tee off with the biggest jaw-droppers: Spaun and Scheffler. One guy made under par look like a magic trick, and the other decided “winning everything” should be his whole personality.

J.J. Spaun’s Cinderella Story at Oakmont

If you had J.J. Spaun in your U.S. Open office pool, congratulations—you either have psychic abilities or you just clicked random buttons. Oakmont, the golfing equivalent of “enter at your own risk,” served up its usual plate of suffering, and everyone expected the usual suspects to do the damage. Instead? Enter Spaun, who looked at Oakmont’s horrorshow of a leaderboard and said, “Hold my beer.”

Let’s be honest, his first round looked so rough you started prepping the “better luck next year” memes, but Spaun wasn’t having it. Suddenly, he figured out the greens faster than I can three-putt them, and clawed his way back. By Sunday, it was a three-man cage match with MacIntyre and Hovland, who probably hadn’t planned on Spaun messing with their vacation photos.

Final round? Wind howling, greens rolling like your kitchen floor after you just mopped it—no problem. Spaun nerves of steel, draining putts like they owed him money. He was the only human left under par, and when he tapped in that last putt, Oakmont finally let someone other than a robot win. First major for Spaun, lifetime bragging rights at the family barbecue.

Scottie Scheffler Captures His First Claret Jug

Meanwhile, over at Royal Portrush, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler just kept on being, well, Scottie Scheffler. If this dude ordered the fish and chips, I’m convinced he’d walk out with a trophy for “Best Use of Tartar Sauce.” He’s got more hardware than my local Home Depot, but somehow, this was his first Claret Jug—and, oh yeah, his fourth major.

Scheffler put the “dominate” in “dominating.” Right off the bat, he was cruising, while everyone else looked like they needed to Google “how to play links golf.” Seventeen under par. Seventeen. That’s not a leaderboard, that’s a flex. Harris English took runner-up and walked off with a career-best, possibly followed by a call to his therapist to process it. Local hero Rory McIlroy got a top-10, so at least the press had that to talk about (besides Scheffler, Scheffler, and also Scheffler).

Let’s be real—when the weather at Portrush turned sketchy, Scheffler barely blinked. He closed it out looking like he’d already mentally moved on to which grill he’s firing up at the family cabin. He’s the target, and everyone else is chasing, probably wishing he’d take up chess or something.

The Significance of These Wins

So what do we take away from all this? Besides a mental note to never bet against guys with unspellable last names? For Spaun, it’s proof that literally anyone can break through on the toughest stage—so long as you don’t listen to your caddie’s advice “just lay up.” For Scheffler, it’s business as usual: another clinic, another reason to start engraving his name on future trophies already.

Both wins shook up the Ryder Cup conversation. Spaun just made the Team USA short list, probably surprising his dentist and extended family. Scheffler? Pencil him in as the anchor, spiritual leader, and guy who always gets first dibs on the Team USA Spotify playlist.

That’s just the kickoff, people. Next up, we’ll wade through the PGA Tour’s wildest moments, see who’s breaking out on LIV, and figure out why every third headline is about Ryder Cup drama. Grab your popcorn—or, let’s be honest, your piss warm beer from the cart.