The PLAYERS Championship was filled with a roller coaster until we got the winner, Rory McIlroy. But there was a close matchup between the Northern Irishman and the American, J. J. Spaun. Until the playoffs, Spaun was on a great run with his performance, but it didn’t go as planned for him. The golfer was praised for his efforts by McIlroy as well. He said, “I feel bad for J.J. He hit a great shot on 17 and it just flew off the wind.”
Away from the praises of his performance, his statement after the loss left a negative remark on the fans. Recently, something similar took place when Collin Morikawa, after his runner-up finish, snubbed the media for an interview. Now, Spaun did participate in the interview, but the golf world didn’t expect his statements.
During the post-match press conference, he was asked, “What are the reasons why you’re playing the best golf of your life in 2025?” The golfer, with his 9 appearances in the 2025 season, has two runner-ups and one third-place finish. To answer the question, he said, “I kind of have a different perspective on things as far as, like, golf has been my life ever since maybe college and stuff, and turning pro and climbing the ranks and trying to make a living at this, I have like a four-year-old now and 20-month-old, two girls.” Spaun turned pro in 2012, securing four professional wins. With a growing family, he now prioritizes work-life balance, following the five-hour rule to divide time between golf and family.
Not only this, he further added, “Golf isn’t everything anymore, and it’s easy to kind of just let golf be golf. It’s not the end of the world if I play bad. It’s not the end of the world if I play great. It’s just golf.” Now with the blunt message shared by the golfer, despite having one of the best career years. The golfer was in strong contention for the title until the ball on the 17 hole went into the water.
The mishap led to missing out on the $4.5 million prize. Well, the performance has earned praise, but his statement might get a backlash. Fans have already started backlash for the Spaun’s caddie for his decision leading to the loss.
J.J. Spaun’s caddie’s decision invited outrage
Away from Rory McIlroy’s celebration, there was a huge outrage on social media that surfaced for the decision taken by Spaun and his caddie, Mark Carens. With the two leaders competing at the playoff, Spaun was falling behind with a stroke lead of the Irishman after the 16th hole. In the next and most horrifying hole 17th, the golfer had to do wonders with performance.
Well, even the caddie suggested an aggressive approach to cover the lead and take the game to the final 18th hole. But the decision of aggressive play was left with a mishap as the tee-shot landed in the water, leading to a stroke penalty for the golfer. McIlroy’s 4 strokes could have opened the opportunity for Spaun, but his 6 strokes sub-par finish, playing the third hole, wasn’t necessary.
Even fans started an outrage at the decision. One fan wrote, “J Spaun and his caddy were SOOO UNPREPARED. Don’t know their yardages, looking in Rory’s bag? WTF???.” Another joined writing, “Did his caddie f**k him?” The journey to the second PGA Tour win will take a little longer for Spaun, but the close loss will always stay back in his mind. What were your expectations for JJ Spaun for the playoffs? Share with us in the comments below.
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