Keegan Bradley explains what he saw J.J. Spaun doing at the US Open which he thought was ‘crazy’

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At the start of 2025, few would have backed J.J. Spaun to become the second man to confirm his spot on the US Ryder Cup team.

In fact, few probably would have even mentioned J.J. Spaun in the conversation to earn his place on the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage. Spaun finished 98th in the FedEx Cup after the regular season in 2024 having missed 11 cuts across the year.

But 2025 has proven to be a breakout year for the 34-year-old. He took Rory McIlroy to a playoff at The Players Championship – after coming agonisingly close to holing the putt to win the event – while he went on to win the US Open at Oakmont.

He also only missed out on the FedEx St. Jude Championship title after a superb playoff with Justin Rose last week. The result was, however, good enough for Spaun to secure his ticket to New York in September.

Keegan Bradley amazed by what J.J. Spaun did during the rain delay at the US Open

Oakmont was the moment everyone started talking about Spaun as a probable option on the Ryder Cup team. It was hard to imagine a major winner not being involved in Keegan Bradley‘s ranks.

But perhaps it was something else which confirmed to Bradley that Spaun would have plenty to offer at Bethpage.

Many will remember the final day of the third major of the year being interrupted by rain. And Bradley admitted that he was taken aback by how Spaun was behaving in the locker room considering that he was very much in the mix to win.

“For me, I’m treating the Ryder Cup as a real team. We’re not going off past Ryder Cups or what they did. I’m trying to act like this is a team that plays all year round,” he said.

“I think an advantage that I’ve had as captain is I’m around the guys. I’m around the guys in practice rounds, in locker rooms, waiting in rain delays. I saw J.J. Spaun at the U.S. Open in this rain delay, and I’m looking at him, and I just like — it didn’t seem like he was in this position to win the U.S. Open. Seemed like we were there in a practice round. He’s joking around. I remember thinking, this guy, he’s a killer. It’s crazy. I’d be pacing around outside or whatever, so just seeing that.

“More importantly, getting to know the guys, it’s really forced me to really get to know them. They’ve impacted my career, and I think one of the reasons why I’ve had a better last couple years is just getting to know them and getting to learn how they go about their career. It’s just so much different than mine.

“Certainly getting to know Scottie, who I didn’t know really at all, and to learn what a great family man he is, what a great friend he is, what a great teammate he is, but then what an absolute savage he is inside the ropes. He’s a different guy in there, and I love that about him.”

J.J. Spaun’s superb statistics on the PGA Tour in 2025

Spaun looks to be the absolute ideal player to send out in either format at the Ryder Cup. Although his short game and putting statistics do not jump off the page, he has been hugely impressive from tee to green.

And in fairness, when people think of the best shots Spaun has hit this year, a couple of them will involve the US Open champion having a putter in his hand – most notably, on the 72nd hole at Oakmont with the putt which won him the title.

Europe will do their homework on every single player, particularly with Edoardo Molinari at the helm. However, there is surely a very good chance that Luke Donald and his team will know a lot less about Spaun than some of his teammates.

He could be about to go under the radar as the potential star of this year’s Ryder Cup.