When he makes his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black, JJ Spaun will be hoping he did not use up his allocation of long putts with the 64-footer that clinched his US Open triumph.
In this truly insightful article, JJ Spaun shares his earliest Ryder Cup memories, the importance of persistence and his journey to becoming a Major Champion…
JJ Spaun’s Long Road To A Ryder Cup Debut
Spaun’s first memories of the Ryder Cup are celebrating the putt Justin Leonard holed to complete the USA’s greatest comeback against Europe in 1999, and emulating David Duval’s double fist pump after he thumped Jesper Parnevik in the singles.
“I had just turned nine when that Ryder Cup was played, and I remember jumping out of my seat when Justin Leonard holed that putt on 17,” Spaun explains.
“Boy, I’d love to do something like that at Bethpage. And I was copying Duval for days afterwards. Everybody at school was. That was such a great Ryder Cup, especially with the American team wearing those cool shirts and coming back from miles behind to win.”
Spaun seems genuinely surprised to learn the 1999 match is referred to in Europe as the Battle of Brookline, an ill-tempered affair that saw the home players whip their fans into a frenzy as they overturned a 10-6 deficit by dominating the singles.
And that Leonard’s putt – a ‘mere’ 45-footer – is remembered for the raucous scenes it sparked, with his teammates and their wives charging onto the green, and trampling all over the line of Jose Maria Olazabal’s putt to try to halve the hole.
The famous shirts from the 1999 Ryder Cup, worn by Team USA
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And he looks even more shocked to learn that those “cool” shirts, covered in scenes from previous US triumphs, and designed by captain Ben Crenshaw, were considered garish, and an unforgivable affront to fashion.
“Really?” he adds. “I guess it depends what side of the ocean you’re from. We loved the shirts, the big final-day comeback, the passion the team showed.
“I guess it was unfortunate if Olazabal was put off, but it sure wasn’t intentional. My mum was the keen golfer in our family, the one who gave me a set of plastic clubs as a three-year-old, and encouraged me to take golf seriously. We watched that Ryder Cup as a…
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