What Justin Thomas did for J.J. Spaun just before he made his Ryder Cup debut to help him with nerves

Add as preferred source on Google

J.J. Spaun has admitted that he was really struggling with nerves in the months leading up to his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black.

It is hard to imagine that the Ryder Cup would have even been on J.J. Spaun‘s radar heading into 2025. He had finished only just inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup last year.

However, he went on to have a breakout season. As well as finishing second to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at The Players Championship, Spaun won the US Open in dramatic circumstances at Oakmont. The lengthy putt he holed on the final green to all but secure the title was immediately added to the pantheon of the event’s most iconic moments.

That victory all but confirmed Spaun would make his Ryder Cup debut in New York. The problem was that the 35-year-old did not feel prepared for arguably the biggest stage in golf.

What Justin Thomas told J.J. Spaun ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage

Spaun’s results did not exactly dip after his major victory. He missed the cut at the Scottish Open. But that was the only time in seven starts that he finished outside the top 25.

Nevertheless, Spaun has admitted on the Straights Facts Homie podcast that he needed a pep talk from the likes of Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley to feel like he belonged at Bethpage.

“I was stressed going into the Ryder Cup. From the time I talked to Keegan – which was literally the week after the US Open – he was like, ‘you’re on this f’ing team, you’re locked’, although formally I wasn’t, but points-wise, everything I was in. From that point on, all I could think about was the Ryder Cup, how am I going to perform, am I going to be ready, can I handle this? And honestly, leading up to it was just so much stress,” he said.

“I tried to put it in the back of my mind, thinking okay, this is three months away, let’s focus on finishing out the season, trying to get more wins, doing what you got to do here first, and then we’ll focus on that. But it just consumed so much of my mental space, everything I was thinking about. The Ryder Cup was the only thing I could think about. So I was worried that I wouldn’t play good. Because I wouldn’t have an issue with me playing poorly and letting myself down, but here I am, on the Ryder Cup team, you can let down your teammates, your country, your captains. I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready for this’.

“I just remember telling myself – and that was the other great thing. Yes, I might have been getting in my head negatively, and that’s kind of been something that I struggle with, but JT and Keegan were like, ‘dude, you’ve earned this spot. You’ve won a major, no one else on this team other than you and Scottie have won majors. You’ve earned your way to this team, you have nothing to be stressed about or be afraid of. You’re going to kick their ass’.”

How J.J. Spaun performed on his Ryder Cup debut

Spaun went into 2025 having previously won once on the PGA Tour. So it is probably no surprise that he struggled with nerves ahead of the Ryder Cup. It has been a rapid rise.

But he was agonisingly close to winning at TPC Sawgrass. He was also involved in an enthralling playoff with Justin Rose in Memphis.

Spaun is now sixth in the world rankings.

And he was arguably one of the few Americans who proved himself at the Ryder Cup. He won two points from three matches. Spaun should have certainly played more across the week.

He was also the fourth best American when it came to strokes gained, according to Data Golf. He gained 2.27 shots across his three matches, with Thomas the next best on +0.94.

Spaun’s next target will be to ensure that he enjoys further success in 2026. But it would be no surprise to see him play his way onto the team that travels to Adare Manor the following year.