J.J. Spaun, the 'odd man out,' was confused and frustrated after Presidents Cup snub

J.J. Spaun was extremely confused, and a bit upset, after he didn't make the U.S. Presidents Cup team this fall.

That feeling didn't go away, especially after Spaun ran away with the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour on Sunday. Spaun made four birdies in his last five holes to claim a two-shot win at the Wentworth Club.

"I played with a huge chip on my shoulder," Spaun said after the win. "I definitely had something to prove this week, but everything happens for a reason."

Spaun was the "odd man out" when Brandt Snedeker made his six captains picks to round out the U.S. team for this week's Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club in Chicago. Spaun was the highest-ranked player left off the team. Rookie Jackson Koivun made the squad, and Jacob Bridgeman — fresh off his win at the Biltmore Championship on Sunday — also made it in.

To Snedeker's credit, Spaun withdrew from last month's Tour Championship with a shoulder injury just days before he had to make the picks. But Spaun wasn't given a reason for being left off. He also said he was led to believe he'd be on the team based on good conversations he'd had with Snedeker throughout the year.

"It was like a 45-second phone call," Spaun said. "Just said I wasn't on the team, and said I was the odd man out and I wished him luck, and that was it."

Snedeker was asked about Spaun at Medinah on Tuesday. He quickly credited Spaun for his win, and said he's a "huge J.J. Spaun fan."

"The best advice I got from all the captains I talked to and even coaches, you've got to trust your gut. My gut was telling me one thing," Snedeker said. "You've got to make those decisions. It's tough. I feel awful for J.J., and I always will, because he's a great dude and I love the guy to death. "That being said, he's a competitor. Like I knew this was going to happen. I told all the guys that didn't make the team, like, 'Your job is to go make me look like an idiot as quick as possible.'"

"The best advice I got from all the captains I talked to and even coaches, you've got to trust your gut. My gut was telling me one thing," Snedeker said. "You've got to make those decisions. It's tough. I feel awful for J.J., and I always will, because he's a great dude and I love the guy to death.

"That being said, he's a competitor. Like I knew this was going to happen. I told all the guys that didn't make the team, like, 'Your job is to go make me look like an idiot as quick as possible.'"

Spaun has won three times on Tour in his career, most recently at the Valero Texas Open last season. He won the U.S. Open in 2025, too, and jumped to No. 12 in the Official World Golf Rankings after his DP World Tour win on Sunday.

The Americans will open the Presidents Cup on Thursday in Chicago with a series of four-ball matches. They've won the last 10 Presidents Cups, and have only actually lost to the International Team once in the event's history.

Spaun, though, will have to watch from home. His next shot at representing the United States will have to wait a year.

"I can't wait to see J.J. get off to a great start next year, and I would be shocked if he's not on the [Ryder Cup] team in Ireland," Snedeker said.

While it's far from the same thing, the win on Sunday certainly helped Spaun's mood.

"You know, being left off was obviously for a reason. I don't know what that reason was, but I'm here now and there was a reason why we're here," he said. "My caddie kept telling me that, and it's crazy how this has happened. You know, everything does happen for a reason. I'm just super happy."