Just a few days ago, J.J. Spaun was in the news for having cheated his way into The PLAYERS Championship playoff after scoring two reliefs. Before that, Spaun said he was aware people weren’t expecting him to win. The result? In the following Monday’s playoff match between Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun, the former clinched his second title of the 2025 season. Having had only one win in 228 PGA Tour appearances, Spaun ultimately finished 9th on the TPC Sawgrass. But are we here to talk about that? Not really.
During a recent Fore Play Podcast Plus episode, the hosts brought up something entirely different. Think back to 2022 and Spaun’s first major appearance of the season at The Masters. The golfer had registered his maiden win, eventually earning a ticket to The Masters Tournament. While this came with his best major finish (T23), the hosts on the Fore Play podcast have something damning to share about the golfer. So, what happened?
Back then, the golfer replied to a Fore Play tweet announcing Dan Rapaport joining the podcast by saying, “I’ll probably hate him more than pizza boy @FrankieBorrelli.” Recalling the incident, Frank said, “We were at the PGA Championship at Louisville and he walked right by us… just goes, ‘pizza boy.’ I was like what the f-ck?” Riggs gives the context. “It was after the comments when you said he couldn’t hold the door for Tiger Woods when he got into the Masters by winning the Houston Open.” The hosts found this behavior arrogant, but they defended their comment.
Tiger Woods was making his much-awaited entry into the 2022 Masters and the hosts say they used Spaun’s name to relate to news. Add to that Spaun’s win just a week before and he was going to play with Tiger Woods, mentioning his name made sense to them! On top of that, with that week’s performance, Spaun became the first player to win after making a double in the 1st hole since Woods’s 2008 U.S. Open. Talking about the win, the golfer had said, “I think a year ago … I would have been telling you I have to do a lot of work to [stay on tour]. But to be here and overcome a lot of things and finally get a win? It’s everything you dream of.” Undoubtedly, a person of interest in the 2022 season.
“It was almost like I was saying nice things about JJ,” Frankie says, talking about the golfer’s only win.
I’ll probably hate him more than pizza boy @FrankieBorrelli
— JJ Spaun (@JJSpaun) August 29, 2022
Talking about his weak performances in the last few seasons, the golfer said in 2022 that he believed his trajectory was positive at first. “It was going up, and then all of a sudden this gets thrown at me. It was kinda weird; I didn’t want it to mess with me mentally, but it was a big change.” While the pressure brews, let’s look at how he deals with it.
J.J. Spaun shares what bad play means to him
After The PLAYERS Championship loss, the golfer attended the interview session. When he was asked why he believed he was playing some of his best golf in 2025, Spaun with no second thoughts, said, “I kind of have a different perspective on things as far as, like, golf has been my life ever since maybe college and stuff, and turning pro and climbing the ranks and trying to make a living at this, I have like a four-year-old now and 20-month-old, two girls.” So, how has his performance been? For instance, this year with his 9 appearances, he has made two runner-ups and one third-place finish. For Spaun, golf isn’t the end of all. Talking about his growing family and maintaining a proper divide between the two by following the five-hour rule. What is it?
Spaun has given practice time over the course of 300 minutes. Outside it, he has to get back to his family. “Golf isn’t everything anymore, and it’s easy to kind of just let golf be golf. It’s not the end of the world if I play bad,” the golfer said. Having started professional golf in 2012, Spaun doesn’t think playing great is everything. “It’s not the end of the world if I play great. It’s just golf.” The 2025 season is still here, so what do you think will make more news–J.J. Spaun’s performance or controversies?
The post ‘Pizza Boy’: Insiders Lift Lid on J.J. Spaun’s Petty Words After Being Called Out for Arrogant Behaviour at Masters appeared first on EssentiallySports.
