On Another Rainy Sunday, J.J. Spaun Rallies to Win Valero Texas Open

At the Valero Texas Open, J.J. Spaun followed a similar playbook from his last and biggest win, the 2025 U.S. Open.

Let’s rewind to that final round at Oakmont. After a 5-over front nine, Spaun fell four strokes back of the lead, but after a weather delay, he surged back up the leaderboard. He then snatched the lead on the drivable par-4 17th with a birdie, before, of course, sinking a 64-footer on the last for the victory.

Fast forward to Sunday at TPC San Antonio, the site of his maiden Tour win in 2022, Spaun was trying to end a nearly 10-month hangover from his major triumph. After inclement weather suspended the third round, he began the restart on the 10th hole Sunday, seven back of the lead. But four birdies, in rainy conditions that resembled Oakmont, moved him closer to the lead. And three more birdies in his first 14 holes of Round 4 got him within one heading to the par-4 15th. A bogey, though, would ensue, and his work was cut out for Spaun with his round dwindling.

However, on the difficult par-3 16th, Spaun got one back, hitting his tee shot to 4 feet. Then, the 306-yard par-4 17th had shades of déjà vu from the U.S. Open. Spaun placed his tee shot 9 feet from the cup en route to an eagle that notched him a one-stroke advantage. And, on the closing par-5, chipping his fourth shot to 2 feet, par would be enough.

With a final-round, 5-under 67, Spaun was back in the winner’s circle.

MORE: Final results, payouts from the Valero Texas Open

Still, the 35-year-old was glued to the television in the scoring area, waiting to see if anyone behind him would catch his 17-under lead.

One stroke back, Michael Kim hit his second shot on the last into the greenside bunker and failed to hole his ensuing attempt for birdie. Andrew Putnam, too, suffered a nearly identical fate.

But Robert MacIntyre likely had Spaun trembling the most.

2022 winner J.J. Spaun has taken the solo lead @ValeroTXOpen with an eagle at the par-4 17th!

📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/NhpRNleeR7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 5, 2026

The lefty held the 54-hole lead by one. However, MacIntyre was stuck in neutral for the first 16 holes of the final round, playing the round at even par. That changed, though, with an eagle on No. 16, sending him to the 18th tee box one back.

MacIntyre would place his drive in the fairway, 325 yards from the hole. But his approach resembled the shot of a weekend golfer, hooking way right, and he would receive TIO relief and drop right of the cart path in the soupy, muddy rough. Needing an up-and-down from a little over 100 yards, the 29-year-old hit a punch shot on the green to 30 feet, before his attempt to force a playoff sailed left of the cup.

“I normally draw my 3-wood, so I should have just stood up there, but my job was to have a third shot, so just do not hit it in the water [on the left], so I just overcompensated, just pulled it,” MacIntyre said of his second shot on 18. “But that's O.K. because I’ve got a shot. Yeah, could have done with it being a bit closer.”

Ironically, if Sunday needed any more comparisons to last year’s U.S. Open, MacIntyre finished runner-up to Spaun at Oakmont.

The story of Spaun is a bit of a Cinderella tale. He was a walk-on at San Diego State and considered leaving the game two years ago after nearly a decade on Tour. Then, he gave his career one last chance and forever etched his name in golf lore.

This season, though, he struggled to emulate the same success he saw in 2025, missing three cuts in seven starts, with his best result a T24 entering this week.

“This game is so crazy,” Spaun said. “I haven’t been feeling at the form that I wanted to be based off of last season. Just trying to take each day as it comes and accepting what I have. Just got such a great team behind me that’s been supporting me. Just means a lot to come back and win here at a place that’s been so good to me.”

In golf, and perhaps in life, things come full circle when they’re least expected.

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