Before J.J. Spaun’s 64-footer? Mini tours, money games and a coach’s belief

This interview was first published in the December issue of GOLF Magazine.

J.J. Spaun had a season to remember. Seven top 10s, a near miss at the Players, fiery play at Bethpage and a U.S. Open win. At 35, the gritty late bloomer had something to prove. He did just that in 2025.

We spoke to Spaun from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dylan Dethier: Where’d your relationship with golf begin?

J.J. Spaun: I was an only child and my parents were recreational golfers. They really enjoyed playing, and I’d always tag along. I was probably three, just cruising around, when I started whacking balls. And that passion grew as I got older. There were a few kids on my street who played, and we would go to the course nearby. So it ended up being a fun childhood activity.

DD: Golf can be such a soli­tary sport for kids. Do you think friends made it stick?

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JS: On the one hand, yeah, totally. Those buddies are still buddies, and it was nice to have a group of guys to go out with. But I’d go out and play by myself too. That’s how much I enjoyed it. We lived on this very blue-collar country club, Via Verde, in East San Gabriel Valley [Calif.], and I would sneak on in the afternoons and go chip and putt around one of the holes we lived on. It wasn’t a chore. I wasn’t forced to go practice and play. It was just something I enjoyed doing.

DD: What do you think has made you so good? And did that start early?

JS: I enjoy the challenge. I remember playing team sports growing up — baseball, basketball, hockey — and I didn’t like waiting to be in the action. Golf isn’t the fastest sport, but you’re in it all the time. It’s so individual, it’s all on you. And, as I developed, I got this chip on my shoulder too, having to prove myself, having to earn my way. Whether it’s junior golf, college coaches — I wanted to show I was a good enough player to compete, and I still carry myself that way. I think that grit has gone a long way for my career.

DD: You won’t remember, but we played on the 2015 Canadian Tour together. I was, like, maybe the worst player and you were one of the best.

JS: No way.

DD: Yes! But it made me wonder, of all your steps to the top tier of the game, which stops or tours stand out?

JS: So many, but one that sticks out is I’d play these money games on what was the Pepsi Tour in L.A. It wasn’t really a tour; it was just kind of organized money games, but it was twice a week all around L.A. County, and it really helped me develop. This was when I’d first turned pro, 2013 to 2015, and playing golf for money — really, for money I didn’t have — was a good way to develop my competitive skill. That was the start to everything that came after, the Canadian Tour the next summer and everything else.

DD: So how’d you win the U.S. Open?

JS: Duuude. [Sighs.] When I look back and see all the close calls I had, and all the grit and tenacity I’d showed throughout the year leading up to that week, something good was coming. I remember talking to my coach [Adam Schriber] the week before. I sent him a swing video and asked what he saw. He replied, “I see the U.S. Open champ.” I was like, “C’mon dude, I’m serious. Am I too late here? Too fast? Let’s get some productive feedback here.” But he saw something. And it turned out to be a week the stars aligned.

DD: What do you feel most proud of from that week?

JS: Bouncing back from that horrific start on Sunday. I mean, I could have shot 85 and it would have been another
one of those weeks where it’s like, okay, it’s his first time being in contention, blah blah. I’m sure everyone expected me to [fade]. But leaning on the experience of the Players [where he lost to Rory McIlroy in a playoff] helped me not do that. I talked to my caddie and he said you’ve gotta ride it out, it’s an Oakmont U.S. Open. People will make mistakes; you have to give yourself a chance.

DD: Do you have that final 64-­footer to win as, like, your phone background?

JS: It comes up every once in a while on my Instagram and it’s still just so surreal. Like, you only imagine that happening to other guys. Oh, Tiger’s putt at Torrey Pines. Crazy shots guys pull off at majors. You’re like, That’s so cool they did that, but it’ll never happen to me. So, yeah, I pinch myself every morning when I wake up and walk through the house and see that U.S. Open trophy. Like, Oh yeah, that’s right, I did win the U.S. Open.

DD: At age 35, you’re fresh off your first Ryder Cup, where you were one of just three U.S. players with a winning record. I know the team didn’t win, but what are you taking away from that week?

JS: Leading into it, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it. I knew I was playing good, but I’d never been in any sort of team competition with that much pressure, in that big an arena. You hear about how intense it gets and you wonder, I can handle letting myself down, but how would I handle letting down other play­ers? I know I shouldn’t be thinking that way, but I was being real with myself.

But I talked to JT [Justin Thomas], and he was really cool about making me feel comfortable. I said I was pretty nervous; he was like, “Dude, you have nothing to worry about. You won a major. You and Scottie are the only ones on our team that did that this year and we’re all jealous of that. You played your way on — this is no charity.”

And Keegan [Bradley] was really big on letting me know that, like, I made the Ryder Cup, that I’m a Ryder Cupper for life, that nobody can take that away from me, no matter what happens. But I still needed to validate it, to play well, to prove why I was there. What ended up being so cool was having those players to lean on, to pick each other up.

Now that I’m able to decompress, it was a lot of fun. We lost, and that’s beyond unfortunate, but we put up a heck of a fight on Sunday. And now I understand the importance of a Ryder Cup, because it’s hard to fully understand until you’re playing in one. Like, Shane Lowry said he might take his winning putt over winning a major. I get that now. And these guys I’ve admired for years and years, wishing to be one of them? It’s super cool to be in that circle now, to create that bond. It’s been the experience of a lifetime.