What J.J. Spaun’s coach told him before the US Open at Oakmont after seeing a video of his swing

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In 2024, J.J. Spaun considered calling it quits on his professional career.

J.J. Spaun almost lost his PGA Tour card, but recorded three top-10 finishes on the back end of the year to secure his playing status for next season. 

Now, Spaun is a US Open winner and a Ryder Cupper. Spaun was one of Keegan Bradley’s best players at Bethpage Black, unfazed by the grand stage. He was also the only player under par in the treacherous conditions at Oakmont, one of the hardest major championships of all time. 

In just one year, Spaun has established himself as one of the elite golfers on the planet. It was something none of us saw coming prior to his first major win. None of us, except Spaun’s coach, whose incredible prediction before the tournament was proven exactly and immediately correct.

J.J. Spaun’s coach made a brilliant US Open prediction

Almost no one had Spaun as their US Open winner heading into Oakmont, but he was in career-best form at the start of the year. Rory McIlroy beat Spaun in a playoff at The Players, and he had a T2 and T3 finish earlier in the season. 

That form, and what he saw in Spaun’s swing, made the American’s coach predict that he would win the tournament a few weeks before the US Open. 

Spaun, speaking on Straight Facts Homie!, explained: “I had only played one US Open prior to Oakmont, and I just know what type of test the US Open is like. I was really just hoping to show up and not embarrass myself. Playing four rounds there would be an accomplishment, making the cut.

“I didn’t want to sell myself short, but I didn’t want to underestimate the challenge I was about to have. I knew I was playing great. I had such a great start to the first quarter of the year.

“I was sending my coach swing videos before I had the week off, before the US Open. I was just sending videos back, just for some feedback to get an idea of how my swing is feeling and what it’s looking like.

“I said, ‘What do you see in this swing here?’ He said, ‘I see the US Open champ. ’ I didn’t laugh, but I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, fair enough.’

“He knew I was swinging well. He knew I was playing well. After The Players, after we lost and we were going through our feels after the round, and he was like, ‘Dude, don’t worry, something bigger is going to come from this.’

“It’s just so crazy how you have little things like that in your ear constantly, positive things and things to reinforce what you’re doing, how that can just change things. I don’t know if it was some sort of wavelength it put me on, but that’s why I appreciate the team I have around me.”

Hindsight is 20-20, but we could have seen this coming from Spaun. His accuracy with his driver meant he was well-suited for the challenge Oakmont presented with its long, rough, and narrow fairways. 

But what was impossible to foresee was Spaun’s steely composure in the biggest moments, which we have seen in abundance since.

J.J. Spaun overcame Keegan Bradley’s course setup at Ryder Cup

Spaun was Team USA’s fourth-best player in strokes gained at the Ryder Cup. Bradley played Spaun only three times at the tournament, but he went 2-1-0, impressively beating Sepp Straka 2&1 on Sunday. 

That was made more impressive by Bradley’s setup of Bethpage Black, which took away any advantage Spaun may have had entering the event. 

Bradley made the rough a non-penalty by shaving it down, meaning any misses off the tee were not punished. Spaun’s accuracy with his driver was therefore worthless, but he made up for that with incredible iron play, gaining +3.66 on approach. 

In doing so, Spaun proved that he wasn’t a player who depended on the right course setup to compete. He can match the best in the world anywhere on any course, and you would be foolish to bet against him picking up another win next season.