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J.J. Spaun's family has played a significant role in the golfer's rise on the PGA Tour. Spaun is originally from Los Angeles, Calif., and now lives in San Dimas, Calif.
The golfer had a standout college career for the San Diego State Aztecs. Spaun's parents, John and Dollie Spaun, recognized their son's passion for golf early. The golfer's real name is John Jr., a nod to his dad, John Spaun, but he simply goes by J.J.
Spaun describes his ethnicity and heritage as Filipino and Mexican.
"So my grandfather on my mom's side, he's from -- he's not from the Philippines, but his parents were," Spaun explained at the Valero Texas Open during an April 3, 2022, interview. "But they moved to California and he was born there, but he spoke Ilocano, which is like a dialect of Tagalog.
"It's from a very small island; I wish I remember what it was. My whole mom's side, they're all half Filipino and half Mexican, so that's what makes up my heritage. Sadly, he passed a few years ago, but he was -- he was kind of the main Filipino person in our family."
54-hole leader @JJSpaun was born for this.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2025
JJ’s mom Dollie was an avid golfer, playing golf until she was eight months pregnant (after her doctor approved.)
“People would always tell me that my son was going to be a golfer when he grew up." pic.twitter.com/8MA0QaYvCb
Spaun's mom, Dollie Spaun, saw her son's uncommon love for golf at a young age.
"He was born to play golf," Spaun's mother told USA Today's Brentley Romine during a Feb. 1, 2018, interview. "He used to watch TV as a little kid and he’d tell me, 'Mom, I don’t want to watch cartoons. I want to watch Golf Channel.'"
Heading into Sunday's final round, Spaun finds himself leading the field at The Players Championship. The golfer already has two top-10 finishes in 2025 and is poised to add a third.
More must-reads:
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NBC keeps U.S. Open through 2032 in media-rights extension
The United States Golf Association is keeping the U.S. Open media-rights with NBCUniversal while striking a new agreement for its other championships with NBC's spinoff company, Versant. In all, the 11 USGA championships (professional and amateur) are staying in the familiar confines of NBC, USA Network and Golf Channel. The USGA on Tuesday extended NBC's rights deal to broadcast the U.S. Open through 2032. That deal also includes the U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. All coverage will be streamed on Peacock as well. NBC has been the USGA's primary television partner since 1995. In 2015, the USGA struck a 12-year, $1.1 billion deal to team up with Fox Sports, but five years in, Fox paid a lump sum to exit the agreement and the rest of the current deal was transferred to NBC. Financial terms were not revealed. Puck reported that the annual value will be close to the $93 million the current pact is worth. New aspects of the extension include the U.S. Open receiving an extra hour of prime-time broadcast on Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, the USGA's main amateur championships — the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Senior Women's Open, U.S. Adaptive Open, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup — will be carried by Golf Channel. And USA Network will carry roughly 35 hours of live coverage of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open. Versant is the name of the new "spinco" that will be the parent company of most of NBCUniversal's former cable networks, including MSNBC, CNBC and E! as well as Golf Channel and USA. In a news release, Versant trumpeted the deal as its first sports media-rights acquisition. "The USGA championships represent some of the most prestigious events in all of golf," Versant president of sports Matt Hong said in a statement. "USA Network's reach and Golf Channel's reputation as the television home of the sport are ideal platforms to bring the USGA championships to golf fans across the country." "We're incredibly proud of the partnership we've built over the years with NBCU and Versant, and we're equally excited to continue building on that legacy throughout our shared passion and dedication— alongside people we're proud to call our friends," USGA CEO Mike Whan added in a statement.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
2 Steelers first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a different look and a different feel coming into the 2025 season after bringing in Aaron Rodgers as their new starting quarterback. Poor QB play has haunted Mike Tomlin and company throughout the last few years ever since Ben Roethlisberger left his prime, and they are hoping that Rodgers helps fix that issue. While the future Hall-of-Famer is firmly cemented as the team’s starting quarterback, there are some other positions on the roster that are still up for grabs as the preseason rages on and Tomlin finalizes what his lineup for Week 1. The Steelers also brought in DK Metcalf in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, giving Rodgers a true No. 1 option to throw the ball to. They also offloaded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in a separate trade, leaving that second wide receiver spot there for the taking. The Steelers also lost Najee Harris this offseason, making Jaylen Warren the presumed featured back. However, that spot could be in jeopardy as well if the returning running back isn’t careful. Earlier in training camp, the Steelers released their first unofficial depth chart of the season. Here are two players who showed up as starters in that release that could get caught for those spots in the coming weeks. RB Jaylen Warren Jaylen Warren has been splitting carries and touches with Najee Harris over the last couple of years, but with Harris gone he seemed destined to be the featured back for Tomlin and company. Not so fast. Insert former Iowa superstar Kaleb Johnson, who the Steelers drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That was maybe a bit later than many expected Johnson to be selected after his spectacular 2024 season with the Hawkeyes, but that also means there is a chance that the Steelers got a steal. It won’t be easy to take the job from Warren, who does a lot of things well and can positively impact the offense both in the running game and as a receiver. In his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Warren has amassed 2,568 yards and six touchdowns. He has great burst but also solid power in between the tackles and runs very low to the ground, making it difficult to bring him down. However, Warren’s size makes it somewhat difficult to envision him being a true workhorse back, which could open the door for Johnson to become a bellcow on early downs. At 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, the rookie is a much bigger back who is built to withstand the rigors of getting a lot of touches every week. That was on full display at Iowa last season, when Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, leading the Big Ten in both categories despite playing in an offense that offered no threat through the air. If it weren’t for the spectacular season of Ashton Jeanty at Boise State, Johnson could have garnered more recognition for awards at the end of the season. Johnson looked a step slow in his preseason debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he still has the ability to become the main back on early downs for Tomlin and company before too long. WR Calvin Austin III This comes with a bit of a caveat that the Steelers list just two starting wide receivers on their depth chart along with two tight ends, which leaves room for a third wideout that could be a potential “starter” in Arthur Smith’s offense. Austin is listed as the second starter alongside DK Metcalf, but Smith could opt to go with veteran Robert Woods in certain situations and make Austin more of a third slot wide receiver. The primary reason for this is that Woods has built a reputation as one of the best run blockers in football at his position. Smith loves to run the football, and the Steelers project to have one of the highest run rates in the league this coming season. Woods doesn’t have the same juice as a receiver that he once did, but he could see the field more one early downs and in neutral situations while Smith looks to get the most he can out of his run game. Austin is also dealing with an injury during the preseason that has held him out of practice, which could hurt him in getting to 100% by the time the regular season starts. Still, Austin will be a big part of the offense when he does get healthy. He is one of the most explosive players on the team and gives the Steelers a big-play threat that can take the top off the defense at any time. Now that Pittsburgh should have its best quarterback play during Austin’s career, he could have a lot more big plays coming his way in the near future.
Handicapping the 49ers' tight end competition: A Young TE is Emerging
One position to watch in the next two weeks is the San Francisco 49ers tight end room. The team may only keep three, but will likely keep four tight ends on their 53-man roster. They appear to have two locks and three players competing for the final two spots. Which depth players will make the San Francisco 49ers roster at tight end? George Kittle and Luke Farrell should be locked down. Kittle is the star tight end, and Farrell was given a modest free agent contract, solidifying that he would have a role this year. He played sparingly in the preseason opener, likely because he was new to the team, but he left the game early. The thought is that Farrell is an in-line tight end who takes pride in blocking. This will allow Kittle to be spaced out and used in mismatches that you do not see from a normal tight end. The final two spots will come down to Brayden Willis, Ross Dwelley and Jake Tonges. Is Brayden Willis a lock? Willis appears to be the frontrunner for the third spot. He is a former seventh-round pick who has developed in his first two years. Now, in year three, he is a better blocker than he used to be, which has given him a step up on his competition. Willis started next to Farrell in the preseason, indicating he would be the next man off the bench. He played 35 snaps with 28 as an in-line tight end. This is valuable as it shows he can step in and replace Farrell if anything happens, being a complement to Kittle, who allows him to remain a weapon. He has also been a special teams contributor over the past two years, so his spot feels safe. So, one spot may be down to Dwelley and Tonges. There are two ways that you can take this battle. The case of Ross Dwelley Ross Dwelley did not play any offensive snaps in the 49ers preseason opener, but he did play 12 special teams snaps. So, the team was not sitting him with the rest of the starters. The vibe was more that he was behind Farrell, Willis, and Tonges and was hoping to show that he can stick around with enough special teams value. A positive spin is that Dwelley was with the team from 2018-2023, so they did not need to see him on offense. His main role will be special teams, so of course, he played there. Meanwhile, Willis is still developing, Farrell is new, and they do not know much about Tonges. Is it that Dwelley is a lock, and they needed to see more from others, or that Dwelley is truly behind them? How do the 49ers view Jake Tonges? Tonges played three fewer special teams snaps than Dwelley, which can speak to the idea that Dwelley is a core player. However, Tonges played 38 offensive snaps, so he was the one with the chance to prove he belongs on the roster, while Dwelley could not. Still, while Tonges played 38 snaps, only 15 were as an in-line tight end. He has 13 snaps in the backfield, eight in the slot, and two as a wide receiver. If anything, the 49ers may not view Tonges as competition for the tight end role; they may view him as a backup to Kyle Juszcyk. If that is the case, they are likely going to push him back to the practice squad, where he was most of last year. The final two weeks will determine things, and you can spin the preseason usage however you want. It will be interesting to see how the room sorts out.
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