When you’re playing the BMW Championship, of course you’ve got a chance to win a BMW, and J.J. Spaun came this close to winning a new ride during the second leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
Spaun came within inches of recording a hole-in-one at the 186-yard, par-3 sixth hole at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.
“Give me a car!” Spaun shouted as his tee shot into the bunker surrounded green caught the slope and rolled back toward the pin. He’d have to settle for 3 feet, 7 inches away.
J.J. Spaun was begging for an ace and new ride @BMWChamps 😅
J.J. Spaun’s Breakout 2025 Season Continues
Spaun’s near-ace was part of a wild up-and-down front nine that saw him play the first three holes at 3-over with a double-bogey on No. 2 and a bogey at the third. He got things back on the track, though, with three straight birdies, punctuated by the bird at No. 6.
It seems unlikely Spaun will get back in contention, especially with Robert MacIntyre blitzing the course over the first two rounds to the tune of 14-under. Yet, Spaun is ticketed for a trip to East Lake to play in the Tour Championship where he’s looking to finish the best season of his career with a $10 million first prize on the line.
Of course, it’s all gravy at this point for Spaun. He took Rory McIlroy to the wire at The Players before losing in a playoff. That was only setting the stage, though, for Spaun to win the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, where he once again showcased his resilience after starting the fourth round 5-over through his first six holes.
“He just played such a frickin’ good tournament,” No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon said on their U.S. Open recap podcast in June. “That even when he got put in the blender early on, I wasn’t surprised to see him fight back afterward. What happened at The Players was not a choke, not a gag, he just got the wind wrong.
” … He’s been a little bit of a punchline, I’ve been guilty of this with the Ryder Cup myself, but he was the 164th-ranked Data Golf player in the world at this time last year, and he’s 25th now. … He (was) a true replacement-level player for his entire career, and he’s completely elevated himself and lifted and separated.”
Next Stop for J.J. Spaun: Ryder Cup
It’s been onward and upward even since Oakmont. Going into the BMW, Spaun worked himself up to No. 8 in the DataGolf rankings and No. 6 in the OWGR rankings. He has gained on the field in strokes gained total in seven of his last nine starts.
Spaun, who debuted in 2012, is peaking just in time for his first Ryder Cup appearance. Spaun got in on points from his breakout season, but he clearly made an impact on Team USA captain Keegan Bradley for more than just his play.
“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,” Bradley told reporters at the BMW Championship. “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.”
That’s exactly the sort of temperament that should help Spaun in September at Bethpage Black.
US Open Champion Has 4-Word Reaction to BMW Championship Near-Ace