Sally Maxson / For The Beaver County Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Spaun Tabbed for Ryder Cup Spot

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 12:37 PM ET

It may have already been written in stone for most who watched J.J. Spaun win the U.S. Open at Oakmont that one of the immediate perks would be a slot on his first Ryder Cup team.

If any doubt existed, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley cleared it up nicely at Wednesday's press conference at the Travelers.

“I'm really proud to have him on this team because it's really difficult to make your first team,” Bradley said of Spaun. “To go out there the way he did this year and play in these big events this well is a testament to what a player he is.”

So, what does Bradley get with Spaun?

Well, clearly a guy that doesn’t flinch.

When you finish off a U.S. Open as he did with the tee shots on the 17^th and 18^th holes and then the longest putt made of the championship on the 72^nd hole, you couldn’t ask for more from the 34-year-old, who hung around the leaders, even when he was unlucky. His ball hit the flagstick and caromed off the green. Spaun didn’t let it affect him.

Having a mature rookie is a contradiction.

And in the case of Spaun, he clearly will not be overcome by the bright lights of Bethpage Black in September.

“I think going to a course like Bethpage Black, the people are really going to be behind a guy like J.J. Spaun,” Bradley said. “His story is incredible. He's a hard-working guy that's just building and building and building his whole career.”

Bradley has talked about how he sees his focus sharpening after the U.S. Open.

He also examined the U.S. Open results and how the individual Americans handled the process and themselves in the cauldron of Oakmont.

At this point, the top six of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Spaun, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa are in a comfortable position to be part of the U.S. team in September.

Russell Henley at seventh and Ben Griffin at eighth also seem to be big parts of the equation, both having won in 2025 and playing well for most of the year.

From there, it becomes complicated, with most of the other potential U.S. players not showing enough to be part of the team.

Harris English has won in 2025, which is a big plus, and Maverick McNealy won late in 2024 and has had a solid 2025.

Jordan Spieth, usually a lock by this point, is still struggling to find all the pieces to the puzzle, leaving him on the outside looking in.

At this point, a win by Spieth, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Cameron Young, Tom Hoge, or Bradley himself may secure their place on the team.

Not many chances left.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: