One of the early memories of J.J. Spaun was his rookie year when he was too afraid to meet Tiger Woods. Now their names are together on the U.S. Open trophy.

When sheets of rain descended upon Oakmont on Sunday afternoon and an army of groundskeepers started taking squeegees and towels to the fairways, a tumultuous finish and bizarre turn became inevitable at this U.

I just tried to dig deep,” said the 34-year-old Californian who can now call himself a major champion. “I've been doing it my whole life.”

Oakmont was almost unplayable Sunday afternoon in the rain. But in the end, it was exactly what Spaun needed to become one of the unlikeliest U.S. Open champions.