It wasn’t to be for J.J. Spaun at The Players Championship as he lost out in a playoff to Rory McIlroy but he still deserves huge praise for how he conducted himself.
Going into the playoff knowing that just three holes separated him from a piece of history, Spaun eventually crumbled under pressure as McIlroy used his experience and class to win out.
For Spaun, the writing seemed on the wall from the opening tee shot as McIlroy bombed one around 40 yards past him and immediately went one in front on the 16th.
Things were well and truly over for Spaun on 17. With the treacherous island green being engulfed with wind, McIlroy chipped his shot onto the middle of the green.
Spaun, though, over shot his effort and ended up in the water, going on to make triple and effectively ending his hopes there and then.
However, as Spaun walked off at 18 after losing, he did something that not only he deserves credit for, but others could learn from.
J.J. Spaun shows his class after losing to Rory McIlroy at The Players
As Spaun headed off the green on 18, he knew the media would be waiting for him and when Smylie Kaufman approached him, he must have been fearing the worst.
However, when asked about the shot on 17, Spaun admitted he did everything right and put simply, the wind didn’t do as he thought.
“One hundred percent, I was committed to the shot, the shot shape and the club. I just hit it too good and it went right through the wind. I was almost telling it to get up, because I thought I saw it floating,” Spaun admitted.
“I did what I needed to do, it just didn’t go in my favour. It’s hard not to feel discouraged a little bit but it’s great to put myself in contention, and if I’d told myself that at the start of the week, I’d have taken it.”
For Spaun to act so graciously as he did here as he went on to congratulate McIlroy and praise the Northern Irishman, showed a touch of class that others – including McIlroy – might take note of.
J.J. Spaun a shining light for PGA Tour players to follow
Of course, we saw last year how Rory McIlroy exited the US Open without a word to the media at the time and that caused quite the stir.
Likewise, Collin Morikawa has recently taken a dig at golf media after refusing certain media obligations after losing to Russell Henley at The Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Both McIlroy and Morikawa are more high profile names and in fairness, probably do take part in more media than many players on the TOUR.
However, given Spaun had just thrown away a golden chance at winning a huge event against one of the best to ever do it, he very much showed how to conduct yourself in defeat.
For that, Spaun deserves enormous credit and if other PGA Tour players follow suit, then golf will be a better place all around.
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