J.J. Spaun has had a memorable 2025 on the PGA Tour and he’s now finishing off his year by playing with Scottie Scheffler in preparation for the Ryder Cup.
Spaun continued his fine form for the year by carding a great opening round at the Procore Championship, going round in five under for a 67.
Spaun’s remarkable year has seen him win the US Open, finish 2nd in huge events like The Players and the FedEx St Jude Championship, and earn over $12m to more than secure his future.
Now though, there is a different pressure.
Having played himself into Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup squad, Spaun now needs to deliver for his country.
Thankfully at the Procore, he’s getting good practice playing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, and speaking of Scheffler, Spaun has revealed just what it’s like going out with the world’s best.
J.J. Spaun describes what it’s like to play with Scottie Scheffler
Playing with the best players around comes with an added pressure a lot of the time.
We’ve seen it with Tiger Woods over the years and Spaun himself has seen it when he wilted against Rory McIlroy in the playoff at The Players.
Still, when it comes to playing with Scheffler, it’s something Spaun relishes.
“I played with him Sunday at Memphis. Probably a handful of times,” Spaun replied when asked about his experiences of playing with Scheffler.
However, after a bit of confusion with the reporter, Spaun then admitted he hasn’t played with Scheffler too much and explained how he’s found it when he has.
“Sorry. Oh, yeah. So, no, I haven’t played with Scottie much, but it was nice to kind of, and I think that’s what Keegan’s goal is, just to get everyone familiarized with each other.
“He obviously knows I haven’t played with him very much. Granted, what the pairings will end up being, we want to get comfortable playing with each other. But I played with him pretty recently and I played well. It’s just good to play with him and learn from him but also feel comfortable in your own skin.”
J.J. Spaun needs all the help he can get ahead of Bethpage Black
And that is not said in a negative way. Far from it.
Spaun has shown he’s more than capable as a golfer but given his sudden rise and lack of big-time experience, he needs to lean on those more experienced than him right now while he can.
Come the Ryder Cup, emotions will be high and the crowds loud and there’ll be times when Spaun may well feel alone on the course.
Getting to know players like Scheffler, then, can only serve him well.
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