J.J. Spaun made the longest putt of the entire golf tournament on the 72nd and final hole to win the 2025 U.S. Open and etch his name in the ranks of immortals as golf’s latest major champion.
The final round was as exciting as it was messy — and it was really messy. Torrential downpours soaked the golf course and forced a 96-minute delay in the action. That, on top of Oakmont’s typical lack of forgiveness, left some of the world’s best players looking like weekend hacks during the latter stages of Sunday’s final round.
But Spaun emerged, and it made for great theater. The TV ratings suffered as a result of the weather, though.
Only 5.4 million Americans tuned in to watch the drama unfold Sunday, according to Josh Carpenter with Sports Business Journal, making it the least-watched U.S. Open final round since Bryson DeChambeau’s first victory at Winged Foot in 2020, which drew 3.2 million viewers during the COVID season.
The delay caused viewership to drop 6 percent, according to Carpenter, but still, the eyes came back later in the day, with the broadcast peaking at 9 million viewers as Spaun made his way down the closing stretch.
Last year, 5.9 million people watched DeChambeau conquer golf’s toughest test for a second time at Pinehurst.
The closest recent comparison to the 2025 U.S. Open’s final round viewership is 2022, when 5.41 million tuned in to see Matt Fitzpatrick outlast the field at Brookline.
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