J.J. Spaun went from on the verge of losing his card last year and considering hanging up his spikes to U.S. Open champion and his first appearance on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
In short, he’d be the runaway winner of a most improved award on the PGA Tour this season. Spaun has climbed from No. 119 in the world at the end of 2024 to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Ahead of the 45th Ryder Cup, which begins Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black, Golfweek did an exclusive Zoom interview with Spaun, 35, thanks to American Airlines, the official airline of the PGA of America.
Q: How do you get J.J. from your first and middle name of John Michael?
JS: Because I’m a junior. John Michael Spaun Jr. When I was a little kid, everyone called me John John to differentiate between me and my dad. And then that got too child sounding. So when I got older, I was like 12 or so, I said, ‘Can we change it to something else?’ JJ kind of stuck. My really close friends that I grew up with call me John, but my whole family still calls me John John. As a 35-year-old, it’s weird. JJ is, I guess, my professional name.
Q: I know you had to be disappointed not to win the playoff at St. Jude, but I know you’ve talked about how you had some scar tissue from 2022 there. Do you feel like you put that bad taste in your mouth to bed?
JS: Yeah, totally. I had a really bad 2022 Sunday after having the 54-hole lead, and I kind of had this vendetta, get some vengeance on that outcome. It’s a course that I’ve played really well at and I really liked. So I was actually very nervous going into Sunday because I just had that scar tissue lingering in the background. I played with Scotty in the second-to-last group, but regardless of not winning, it was kind of a great way to put the demons aside and understand that I can get past bad experiences and end up doing well the next time around.
Q: You’ve gone from 149th to 73rd in Strokes game putting the last two years. How have you done that?
JS: A lot of it has gone to my practice routine, more tapping into what I feel like I do best as far as a golfer, which is being a feel player. So I’m like that with the long game, and that’s kind of my strong suit. So I just figured, why not try to get back to that with my putting? And then I switched putters this year to a very forgiving putter made by LAB Golf, and that’s kind of eliminated a variable of doubt where you know what it’s going to do. So you just kind of let it go and do its thing and you just try to stick to the routine and how you practice and approach making putts. So, yeah, I think it’s just one of those things that the harder you work, the better you get. And I’ve just been putting a lot of time into my putting.
Q: Did you ever think you were going to spur this revolution of people buying zero torque putters when you started using it?
JS: Not at all. I was just trying to get better myself. But in the galleries, I hear like, hey, I bought a LAB GF3 because of you and all this stuff, so it’s pretty funny. And, you know, you see articles come out saying how the sales have been affected since my U.S. Open win. So, it’s pretty cool. I’ve never seen myself as like an influencer type person, but I guess the proof is in the pudding and people see success with something. They’re going to want to try it as well.
Q: What do you think made you different that you were able to make it to the PGA Tour?
JS: I always had issues with self-belief. From junior golf to high school golf to college golf, my results were the only thing that helped me believe that I could make it. Other people telling me how good I was didn’t matter until I saw the results. And that’s kind of when I started believing more about myself and trying to push myself as hard as I can to end up getting on the PGA Tour. I always dreamed of being on the PGA Tour and winning on the PGA Tour and playing major championships and, you know, it’s just always one step in front of the other to kind of get there. I never really thought big picture at the start, but I think just hard work, determination, perseverance, you know, was kind of the ingredients to success. And I’m glad to have done that myself.
Q: What is your match-play experience, and how do you think you’re going to prepare differently for that format?
JS: I have some match play experience. Quite a bit in my junior-amateur days, I played a few U.S. Juniors, did well in match play there, did the U.S. Am Publinx, had some really good showings there in match play as an amateur in college. My only professional match play experience was the Dell Match Play in Austin in 2023. I did really well there too. I made it out of group stage going undefeated and into the knockout round and I really enjoy it. I think it’s one of those aspects where you’re kind of playing each shot at a time and one hole at a time. I wish I can use that sort of concept in stroke play; I get too wrapped up in like the whole round, but I think match play is easier for me because you know it’s only one hole at a time and you’re just trying to be aggressive and just play against the guy you’re playing against. So I think that’s kind of the key to why I feel more comfortable in match play.
Q: What celebrity do people say you resemble?
JS: Wily Mo Pena (former MLB outfielder)
Q: Who’s the most famous person that you have their number in your phone?
JS: Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was my pro-am partner at the (2022) AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Q: If you could have amazing tickets to any concert who would you want to see?
JS: Does it have to be current or can it be from the past? Because I would say Led Zeppelin’s concert at Madison Square Garden in like 1975. I’m a pretty big Led Zeppelin fan. Just kind of grew up listening to a bunch of classic rock from my dad’s side of the family. Jimmy Page kind of made a mark on me and always loved listening to their stuff.
Q: What fashion trend did you follow that you thought was very cool but when you look at pictures now, you question it because you look ridiculous?
JS: Birkenstocks, the ones that are closed-toe kind of sandals. They’re very comfortable, though. I get a lot of a lot of criticism for them, though.
Q: What have you had to drink out of the U.S. Open trophy?
JS: Everything, pretty much. Beer, wine, tequila, yeah, pretty much everything.
Q: What’s the one course you’ve never played that you most want to play and why?
JS: Cypress Point in Northern California. I just never played it but I’ve heard it’s one of the big three or big four as far as golf clubs go across the country.
Q: With whom did you have the biggest celebration of your U.S. Open victory?
JS: Got to be my wife and kids, just getting to embrace them on the 18th green and hug my kids and give my wife a hug and kiss. It was just kind of everything that you see other winners do, and you always imagine that could be you one day, and it was just really cool to have my two daughters there and my wife to witness me winning a tournament and embrace them both. And yeah, it was a memory I’ll have forever.
Q: If you got a tattoo, what would you get and where would you put it?
JS: I don’t know, something of my family, like maybe their initials or my daughter’s birthday or something. Probably somewhere on my arm, I guess. Maybe on the chest, next to the heart.
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