FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) 鈥 It was the wisdom U.S. Ryder Cup rookie J.J. Spaun needed, even after winning a major, climbing to No. 6 in the world and automatically qualifying for the team.
Justin Thomas, who’s played in more Ryder Cups than anyone on this American squad, told the U.S. Open winner: 鈥淵ou earned your spot on this team. Don鈥檛 feel like this is a handout or a pick. You have a major that a lot of us are very jealous of, and you deserve to be on this team.”
鈥淚 think hearing that has helped me feel like I fit in more as a core player than a rookie who’s just trying to make some sort of impact,鈥 Spaun, 35, said Tuesday at Bethpage Black. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 huge for my confidence.鈥
A year removed from being in danger of losing his PGA Tour card until rallying to finish at No. 98 in the FedEx Cup, Spaun might be the truest rookie of the U.S. team鈥檚 four first-timers. While the others have teed it up in the Presidents Cup, he’s never played in an international team competition as a pro.
The rookies 鈥 Spaun, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley and Cameron Young 鈥 are bringing fresh energy and a clean slate to a squad that’s whiplashed between the joy of in 2021 to the heartache of losing to Europe in Rome in 2023.
Five returning U.S. players 鈥 world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay, plus two-time major champions Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Thomas 鈥 were there for the highs and lows of 2021 and 2023. Now, under first-time captain Keegan Bradley, they’re counted on to bring the new guys up to speed as the U.S. fights to retake the Ryder Cup in front of a what’s sure to be a raucous New York crowd.
Europe has just one Ryder Cup rookie, Denmark鈥檚 Rasmus H酶jgaard. He doesn鈥檛 need to go far to get a sense of what it鈥檚 like. His twin brother Nicolai played in 2023.
鈥淎 lot of these guys have played multiple Ryder Cups,鈥 Spaun said. 鈥(I’m) just trying to pick their brains. It鈥檚 a new arena for me, first national team appearance pretty much ever in my career. I just want to know how they feel, just so I can kind of get an estimation of how I鈥檒l most likely feel.鈥
Schauffele, off the last five weeks for the birth of his son, said Spaun asked him on Monday 鈥渉ow I felt year to year playing in these, and I was happy to tell him.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 as nervous as anybody when I get to that first tee. I鈥檓 as nervous as anyone when I need to hole a putt,” Schauffele said. 鈥淏ut I just told him that there鈥檚 nothing more rewarding than to be at home and to make a putt to win a hole or to even tie a hole if you鈥檙e in a bad spot and get these fans going and get them going quickly.鈥
Bradley, who at 39 remains a top-tier PGA Tour player and flirted with , said he’s proud of his veteran players for rallying around the rookies.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 really unique about this team is they all really take care of each other,鈥 Bradley said. 鈥淛.J. Spaun is the U.S. Open champion and he鈥檚 willing to go to his peers and ask for advice how to go about this, and these veteran players are always open to helping.鈥
鈥淚t makes my job a lot easier when our veteran players are so open to help,” Bradley added, recalling veterans Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods helping him when he played in Ryder Cups in 2012 and 2014. 鈥淚 think when you come into these team events you really need to rely on those older players.鈥
But, with this year鈥檚 team, age doesn’t always equal experience. Spaun and Henley, 36, are two of the older U.S. players while Thomas, 32, is making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance after debuting in 2018.
Asked about his leadership role, Thomas shied away from the 鈥渧eteran鈥 label, saying he associates that with older players 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 just not quite ready for that yet.鈥 But, he conceded, 鈥淚t鈥檚 coming at me head on. It鈥檚 just the reality.”
鈥淚 know that I鈥檓 one of the leaders on the team,鈥 Thomas said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 necessarily one person on the team the last handful or couple times I鈥檝e been on that I鈥檓 like, 鈥楾his is the person that when in doubt, you鈥檙e looking at.鈥欌
Spaun, a Californian who sometimes posts social media videos of his other passion, skateboarding, said he’d watch the Ryder Cup as a kid but never thought or even dreamed that he鈥檇 be on the team.
鈥淚 think that kind of stems back to self-belief issues and knowing my ceiling, what it could be. I just always took one step at a time,鈥 Spaun said.
He struggled for most of eight full PGA Tour seasons before changing his game and his mindset with help from his daughter, whose incessant playing of the ear worm 鈥淟et it Go” from the movie 鈥淔rozen鈥 drilled a new mantra into his head.
鈥淒efinitely more self-belief,鈥 Spaun said, obliging reporters by singing a few notes of the Disney hit. 鈥淚 think kind of taking a lot of pressure off myself as far as trying to achieve certain things or putting limitations on myself. I just tried to let go as much as possible.鈥
After a season of big moments 鈥 pushing Rory McIlroy to a playoff at The Players championship in March, draining a 65-foot putt to take the U.S. Open and fighting Europe鈥檚 Justin Rose to sudden death in a FedEx Cup playoff event 鈥 Spaun is ready for the Ryder Cup stage.
The biggest preparation is 鈥渒nowing that I have done it and I can do it. That鈥檚 kind of the mindset I鈥檝e got to go in with this week,” he said.
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