JJ Spaun no longer scared of being the hunted

LISTEN what the 1st round leader at Oakmont said about his Thursday
JJ Spaun and his caddy
Photo credit Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

OAKMONT, PA (93.7 The Fan) – He was 150-1 odds and those were probably generous. The first-round leader at the US Open has one career win, Los Angeles native JJ Spaun.

While only a win, he was in a playoff against Rory McIlroy at THE PLAYERS championship and had the final round lead at the Sony Open, only to lose both. This was different, little to no expectations or course knowledge of likely the hardest golf course on earth.

“I kind of came out here with no prior history at Oakmont, not really knowing what to expect even U.S. Open-wise,” Spaun said. “This is only my second one. I don't know if that freed me up in any aspect, but I just tried to kind of take what the course gave me.”

“I hit a lot of good shots and tried to capitalize on any birdie opportunities, which aren't very many out here. But I scrambled really well, too, which is a huge component to playing well at a U.S. Open, let alone shoot a bogey-free round. I'm just overly pleased with how I started the tournament.”

How does he avoid being Andrew Landry or Nick Dougherty? Who are they? Landry led the last US Open at Oakmont after the first round, Dougherty led in 2007. Spaun admitted at one time, leading is not where he wanted to be.

“I used to be kind of scared to want the ball, or I guess you could say have the lead or be the one that everyone is chasing,” Spaun said. “I always was comfortable kind of being a chaser than the one being chased.”

He had some bad experiences previously. He would get nervous and he says he’s changed his mindset.

“I was like, you need to embrace this, stop being scared,” Spaun said. “You don't want to go back thinking, what if I didn't embrace this, who knows what I would have done, versus yes, I want to be that guy. That's what all the great players want. So if you want to be a great player, that's the route you've got to go.”

Spaun, who played three years on PGA Tour Canada and on the Korn Ferry Tour before getting his PGA Tour card, admits there is a lot of golf left and believes the course is only going to get tougher.

“I feel like I have nothing to lose. So I'm going to roll with that again this week, and hopefully it'll turn out more in my favor.”

Featured Image Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images