Before Brandt Snedeker made his captain’s picks for the U.S. Presidents Cup team, J.J. Spaun sat at 10th in the American team standings. He was one year and a few months removed from his U.S. Open victory at Oakmont, and just four months removed from his third PGA Tour win at the Valero Texas Open. A rather strong two-year resume for a potential captain’s selection.
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Spaun was not selected, however, Snedeker opting for rising young star Jackson Koivun, Genesis Invitational winner Jacob Bridgeman, five-time tour winner Chris Gotterup and Team USA veterans Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. Spaun took it personally, going to Wentworth and winning the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.
“I played with a huge chip on my shoulder,” Spaun said. “I definitely had something to prove this week.”
Spaun added that being left off the team was “disappointing” and that Snedeker told him he was the “odd-man out” during their 45-second phone call before the selections were made. What they apparently did not talk about was the fact Spaun had withdrawn from the Tour Championship with a shoulder injury just days before Snedeker finalized his squad.
Did that play a factor? Did Spaun inform Snedeker he’d be fine by the time Medinah rolled around? Did Snedeker inquire about the injury? We discussed this clear miscommunication on this week’s episode of The Loop podcast below. Plus, we interviewed L.A. Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson ahead of the NHL season and discussed the newest “country club without a golf course” trend. Please, have a listen below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts:
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
