Winning a major championship is life-changing.
J.J. Spaun, who won the U.S. Open last month with an unforgettable 64-foot birdie putt, is still the same person. However, he now notices a difference in people’s demeanor when they’re around him.
“It’s been a complete 180,” Spaun said Wednesday ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open. “I’ve been out here for eight, nine years now, and you see the same guys, but you kind of notice a little bit of change in tone or I guess more of like respect. You kind of earn some respect out here, especially from the top guys. They engage a little bit more with you. Not that they are different with other players, but you kind of feel you’re at a different level now, winning a major.”
One of the many people who reached out to Spaun after his triumph at Oakmont was Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear wrote the 34-year-old a letter, which was an “a-ha” moment for Spaun. Just two weeks before the U.S. Open, they ran into each other, and Nicklaus gave Spaun a vote of confidence.
“It was funny,” Spaun said, “I saw [Nicklaus] in passing at the Memorial Tournament, the last tournament I played before the U.S. Open, and he just stopped me. I never really engaged with him before that, and he just said I was playing really well. I said, ‘Yeah, it would have been nice to win.’ He’s like, ‘You keep knocking on that door, you’re going to knock one down,’ and, literally, the next week that happened. He remembered that and sent me a nice note, which was really cool.”
Now, having gotten over the hump like Nicklaus predicted, interactions like that are prevalent. Everyone wants a piece of Spaun. And that might benefit him inside the ropes.
“It feels good to kind of earn that respect from my peers,” Spaun said, “and obviously, the greatest players that are out here kind of acknowledging me and making me feel like I belong, which is huge for confidence and huge for self-belief. And it’s nice to be out here, and that confidence goes a long way, whether it’s off the course and on the course. The reception and the fans and spectators, it’s been incredible.
“I still kind of can't fathom every time someone congratulates me for winning the U.S. Open. It’s still a pinch-me moment that it’s something that I did do. It’s very cool, and I’m completely honored to kind of earn the respect from the other players and the fans and audience, as well.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as J.J. Spaun Notices a ‘Complete 180’ Around His Peers Since U.S. Open Win.
