JJ Spaun is only a couple of days removed from winning the U.S. Open which saw him capture $4.3 million in prize money but the American golfer isn’t resting on his laurels
J.J Spaun earned $4.3 million in prize money for winning the U.S. Open(Image: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
JJ Spaun isn’t letting his momentum from winning the U.S. Open go to waste as the golfer is set to compete in the Travelers Championship.
The 34-year-old captured his first major on Sunday at Oakmont Country Club as well as the $4.3 million in prize money for the winner.
The notoriously difficult Pennsylvania course was as tricky as ever, with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau failing to mount a challenge for the title.
It was Spaun who narrowly set himself apart from the pack as he was the only golfer who finished the event under-par.
While you wouldn’t blame the newly-crowned major winner to take a moment for himself after such an experience, instead, he’s returning to the fray immediately at the Travelers Championship.
He’s scheduled to compete for the $3.6M top prize that comes with winning the last PGA Tour signature event of the season on Thursday.
Comprised of 72 players, including every eligible player from the top 22 in the world, Spaun will begin the event at TPC River Highlands ranked 8th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), having risen from 25th prior to the U.S. Open.
JJ Spaun celebrated his U.S. Open win with his family(Image: Getty)
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler will hope to retain his 2024 title after he defeated Tom Kim in a thrilling playoff last year. It’ll also be the first signature event that the world No. 1 will compete against Rory McIlroy since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
The Northern Irishman skipped the event last year but will enter the field this week in what’s been a difficult period for the 36-year-old since winning the Masters in April.
Spaun, on the other hand, struggled to contain his emotions after Sunday as he admitted he didn’t think he’d ever feel the winning rush at Oakmont. “I never thought I would be here holding this trophy,” he said.
“I mean, I’ve always had aspirations and dreams. But a few months ago, I never knew what my ceiling was. I never knew how good I could be, but I’m just proud that I’ve been resilient in my career and pushed through a lot of things and just trying to be the best golfer I can be. And, you know, I’m happy to display that today at Oakmont.
Scottie Scheffler will look to defend his Travelers Championship triumph from last year(Image: Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“I don’t think I did keep my composure, honestly, with all the breaks I was getting,” he confessed. I was trying to just dig deep, hit some good shots coming in. But honestly, the weather delay we had kind of just changed the whole vibe for the day. [A] similar thing happened to me at The Players.
“So this time I kind of leaned on that whole experience where I came back after the delay at The Players and I just kept pushing.
“I’m super fortunate to just have a good support system around me and encourage me and support me in ways that a lot of people don’t notice,” he then added. “So I’m just proud of how I battled, and I’m super proud to be the U.S. Open champion.”
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