J.J. Spaun missed three cuts in his first five events this year and finished no better than 40th in the other two. He said he had started thinking he needed to become a 'perfect golfer' to validate last year’s success, which made his game worse. At The Players Championship in March, he had a mental reset and finished tied for 24th. He lost in a three-hole playoff to Rory McIlroy, with the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass being decisive after Spaun’s shot sailed over the green into trouble and he made a triple bogey, while McIlroy executed a flawless shot. Three weeks later, Spaun won the Valero Texas Open. He said he tried to forget about trying to be the perfect golfer he thought he was last year, when in reality he was just doing the same things. He added that he was mentally a little more nice to himself and not so worried about being perfect, which led to better golf. Spaun won the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club last year. His best season included a major championship, two wins in his Ryder Cup debut, and a top-10 ranking. He was 162nd in the Official World Golf Rankings last year and is now 25th in 2025. According to one report, he had three runner-up finishes in the 2025 season before the U.S. Open and two top-10 finishes in his last four events coming into the tournament. J.J. Spaun is described as a family man, underdog, and grinder.