J.J. Spaun Withdraws From Tour Championship With Shoulder Injury

J.J. Spaun withdrew from the Tour Championship while playing the sixth hole of Thursday's first round at East Lake Golf Club, citing a right shoulder injury. He was 4 over through five holes and was carted back to the clubhouse, leaving 29 players competing for the $10 million top prize.

What happened to Spaun's shoulder?

Spaun said he woke up Tuesday with sharp pain in his right shoulder blade, an issue he said had flared up before but never persisted this long. He was unable to play holes after about 45 minutes of hitting balls Tuesday, and by Wednesday he could not move his neck in either direction.

"It just doesn't feel very comfortable."

He said he tried to play through the pain Thursday before deciding to stop. "I'm nowhere in my game health-wise to be able to compete at the highest level," Spaun said, adding that he did not want to risk further damage before getting the shoulder properly assessed.

What does this mean for his season and Ryder Cup hopes?

Spaun, 36, won the Valero Texas Open in April for his third career PGA Tour title and earned more than $5 million this season, finishing 21st in the FedExCup standings before this week's reset. He made his first Ryder Cup appearance last year at Bethpage after winning the 2025 U.S. Open and finished 10th in the U.S. team points standings, outside the top six who qualified automatically. He remains under consideration for one of U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker's six captain's picks for the September matches at Medinah No. 3, which Snedeker is set to announce Wednesday.