JJ Spaun came up with two big shots at the end of a long, wet Sunday, one leading to birdie and the other for eagle that carried him to a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory in the Valero Texas Open for his first title since the US Open last summer.
Spaun won for the second time at the TPC San Antonio, with one big difference. His victory four years ago got him into the Masters. Now he is the US Open champion who already had his spot at Augusta National secured. But this was an important win.
He had yet to finish in the top 20 in seven starts this year — his best was a tie for 24th in The Players Championship — and now the 35-year-old Californian has a validating win in tough conditions as he heads into the first major of the year.
“It’s just, this game is so crazy,” Spaun said. “I haven’t been feeling at the form I wanted to be based on last season, and just trying to take each day as it comes, and accepting what I have.”
“There’s just so much that comes with winning big events like that, a US Open or any other major,” he added. “I put a lot of pressure on me to start the year, a lot of expectations. I went into the last few weeks starting at the Players trying to be freed up, and put less pressure on myself, and it’s been trying. But sticking to that mantra has really helped me.”
Robert MacIntyre, who had led for much of the tournament, completed 12 holes on Sunday morning in the storm-delayed tournament for an even-par 72 to stay ahead by one shot going into the final round. The groups didn’t change for the final round in a bid to finish amid more rain.
Spaun was in the mix with a dozen other players when he hit his tee shot to 3 feet on the par-3 16th for birdie, and then drove the green on the 306-yard 17th hole to 10 feet for eagle.
He finished with a par to set the target at 17-under finishing about an hour before MacIntyre and the final group. He was on the range when MacIntyre, three shots behind with two to play, drove the 17th and holed an eagle putt just outside 15 feet to get within one shot.
But the Scot hooked his second shot from a wet fairway on the closing hole, a par 5 that yielded only 10 birdies in the final round, and even after getting relief from temporary immovable obstructions, MacIntyre could only hit wedge to 30 feet.
His birdie putt to force a playoff was short all the way. MacIntyre closed with a 70 to share second place with Matt Wallace (68) and Michael Kim (69).
Looking ahead to Augusta, Ludvig Aberg had his third straight top 10, including at The Players Championship where he gave up the lead on the back nine, and heads into the Masters in decent form. He closed with a final round of 70 and tied for fifth with Andrew Putnam, who needed birdie on the 18th to force a playoff and hit wedge into a back bunker, making bogey for a 70.
