Perhaps more than any other professional athletes, most of whom are hidden behind helmets and masks and separated from fans by great distances, golfers can be easily humanized. No one falls into that everyman category quite like J.J. Spaun.
This week’s Hero World Challenge is Spaun’s first start in a month and just his second since the Ryder Cup. He spent his time away from competition doing the most relatable things imaginable.
“Hanging out with my family, being a good dad, helping around the house, getting things done around the house, which this is the time to do it,” Spaun said of his offseason. “It’s been very chill.”
In the most relatable moment for anyone bracing for the holidays, Spaun explained what has mostly consumed his time away from the game: “Dude,” he smiled, “my biggest pet peeve is breaking down Amazon boxes.”
Spaun said his main project was organizing his garage, complete with additional storage space and a new floor. “I felt so accomplished,” he laughed.
But if Thursday’s round at Albany is any indication, the time off wasn’t detrimental to his game. Spaun posted a 6-under 66 for a share of the Day 1 lead at Tiger Woods’ event. He’s tied with world No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Akshay Bhatia, Sepp Straka and Wyndham Clark. Spaun’s Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Corey Conners are just a shot back.
Spaun picked up strokes on the field off the tee, on approach and on the greens in what was a solid start for a player who admittedly didn’t know what to expect.
“I felt that way [rusty] Tuesday and Wednesday, for sure. You know, just tried not to read too much into like mechanics or swing stuff. I knew like once the bell rang, I’d probably be OK,” he said. “Yeah, ended up being a lot better today than the start of the week.”
Spaun took two weeks off after the Ryder Cup and didn’t touch a club. It would have been completely understandable if he’d spent even more time on the couch following the best year of his career.
What makes this past year so remarkable is the complete transformation of Spaun’s career trajectory. He won his first major at the U.S. Open, lost a playoff to Rory McIlroy at The Players, played in his first Ryder Cup and finished inside the top 30 on the season-ending points list for the first time in nine seasons on Tour. His first start at Woods’ limited-field invitational stands as a vivid reminder of how far he’s come in just 12 months.
“I think I was in England last year [during the Hero World Challenge],” Spaun said. “After the Ryder Cup was a really good time to kind of decompress. You know, kind of relish what I accomplished. It was good to chill out and reflect on all that I did this year and really soak it in.”
