J.J. Spaun’s participation in the TOUR Championship lasted barely four holes. The American withdrew from East Lake on Thursday with four over par on his card and a pain in the area of his right scapula that prevented him from completing the backswing normally
The withdrawal brings to the most painful end a season in which Spaun had returned to winning on the PGA TOUR, had finished among the top 30 of the FedExCup and arrived in Atlanta with one last mission still pending: to convince Brandt Snedeker that he deserves one of his six picks for the Presidents Cup
The question is inevitable. Could this injury keep him out of Medinah?
Spaun did not yet provide a definitive medical response, but he gave a detailed account of how the problem began and left a line that reveals just how much the team competition is on his mind
“There are a few big tournaments coming up. I hope they’ll keep me in mind to some extent, even though this week has been a huge disappointment”, he said
He did not explicitly say the words Presidents Cup, but that does not seem necessary. The American captain’s six picks will be announced next Tuesday 1 September, while the tournament will be played at Medinah during the week of 22 to 27 of the same month. Spaun finished tenth position in the standings and is entirely dependent on Snedeker’s decision
“It felt like a knife in my right scapula”
The problem emerged on Tuesday morning
Spaun woke up with a sharp pain in his right scapula. He had experienced similar discomfort before, although it had never lasted so long. He worked with his physiotherapist and tried to practice, but the situation worsened after hitting balls for about 45 minutes
“It got a lot worse. I couldn’t play any holes after that”, he explained
On Wednesday he expected to feel much better. Mobility had increased slightly, but he was still unable to turn his neck or head normally. He made some swings with a wedge and the sensation was especially unpleasant
“It was basically like having a knife stuck in my right scapula”, he described
On Thursday he woke up sufficiently improved to try to compete. However, moving was one thing and withstanding the rotation and force of a full swing another
Spaun made par at the first hole, but carded two bogeys and a double bogey before stopping after completing the fourth. Min Woo Lee, his playing partner, had to continue the opening round alone
“Today I felt much better in terms of mobility, but I think, with the amount of force generated in a golf swing, it was not comfortable at all. Physically I am not in a condition to compete at the highest level”, he admitted
“I didn’t want to risk it just to finish thirtieth”
The decision also had an obvious note of caution. Spaun did not want to turn a possible minor muscle injury into a problem capable of keeping him off the courses for several weeks
“I didn’t want to cause further damage before properly evaluating it and checking what is going on in there”, he noted
The daily progress gives him some optimism. His impression is that he needs to step away from golf for a few days — perhaps a week — and that, after that rest period, he should be back to normal condition
For that reason he felt there was no point in forcing his body just to finish a tournament in which he had already started four over par
“I didn’t want to make a naive decision and keep playing just to finish thirtieth. I wasn’t playing my best golf and right now it’s very difficult to complete the backswing”, he explained
Spaun turned 36 during the recent BMW Championship and even tried to resort to humour
“It’s a shame to end the year like this, but that’s life. I turned 36 last week and maybe this is simply what happens when you’re in the middle of your thirties”
A possible rhomboid injury
There is no precise diagnosis yet. The player himself considers it likely to be a muscular or soft tissue problem in the rhomboid area, a muscle located in the upper back between the spine and the scapula
Spaun had already felt something similar during The Open last year, although on that occasion the pain was on the opposite side. His theory is that the problem can occur when he sleeps with a pillow that is too high and keeps his neck and back in an inappropriate position for many hours
The fundamental difference is that that discomfort on the left side did not affect his backswing. This time, being located on the right scapula, it directly affects one of the essential movements of his swing
“It’s something I’ve had to deal with on the other side of my back before, but never on this side. Last year it calmed down and I was fine. I hope this time I only need a few more days”, he indicated
His prognosis is reassuring, but the schedule could not be more untimely
Spaun needs a pick from Snedeker
The US automatic qualification for the Presidents Cup ended after the BMW Championship. The six players who secured their place were Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa
Spaun finished in the tenth position. Ahead of him, also outside the automatic places, were Chris Gotterup, Ben Griffin and Xander Schauffele. Just behind him appear Justin Thomas, Jacob Bridgeman and Patrick Cantlay, who rose to thirteenth thanks to his second place at Bellerive
Snedeker must grant six invitations and has a wide pool of candidates with very solid credentials. In that scenario, any physical doubt can become a decisive factor
Withdrawing from the TOUR Championship does not make him lose points for the Presidents Cup, since the automatic process had already finished. The potential damage is different: Spaun loses the last opportunity to demonstrate his form and forces the captain to make a decision before knowing with absolute certainty the extent of the injury
The problem is not so much that Medinah begins in almost four weeks. According to Spaun himself, that margin should be more than enough to recover. The difficulty lies in that Snedeker must announce his picks within just a few days
Will he use one of them on a player who has just withdrawn and still does not have a definitive diagnosis?
His season and Bethpage bolster his case
Spaun has enough credentials to make his case
The American is world No. 16, won the 2025 US Open and this season conquered the Valero Texas Open. In addition, he has recorded nine top-25 finishes and reached the Playoffs with enough margin to qualify for the TOUR Championship. At the BMW he began with rounds of 64 and 66 and entered the weekend just two shots off the lead, although he ultimately finished twenty-second
He has also shown that he can perform in a team competition. He debuted in the 2025 Ryder Cup, played three matches and contributed two points, with a record of two wins and one loss. He won his singles match against Sepp Straka and finished as one of the United States’ best-performing players by percentage at Bethpage
That record should play in his favour. Spaun would not be a pick based solely on the rankings or the prestige of his victory at Oakmont. He has already experienced the pressure of representing the United States and has delivered positive results
However, Snedeker will have to weigh those arguments against the immediate physical condition and the strength of the rest of the contenders
