"You don’t know sh*t": Players Championship runner-up fires back at critics amid crucial club selection

The 2025 Players Championship was a thrilling event featuring some of the top golfers in the world. Rory McIlroy won the tournament and J.J. Spaun emerged as runner-up. Following the final round of the tournament, Spaun, who faced criticism for his club selection, had a few things to say to his critics.

J.J. Spaun turned pro in 2012 and has four professional wins, including the 2016 News Sentinel Open and the 2015 Staal Foundation Open. He competed in the 2025 Players Championship against players such as Akshay Bhatia, Tom Hoge, Collin Morikawa, Jake Knapp, and Rory McIlroy.

After the final round of the Players Championship, Spaun headed into a playoff with Rory McIlroy. During the playoff, Spaun’s ball found the water on the 17th hole, and fans later criticized him for using an 8-iron golf club to make the shot. Spaun responded to his critics in an episode of the Fore Play Podcast, saying:

“You don’t sh*t. I’m happy with the swing I put on it, like I executed how I wanted to. I was one down, you know I had to hit a good shot. He was already on the green, I had to go for the shot to have a chance at winning and it didn’t end up working out you know how I expected it to,” Spaun said. [0:46]

Spaun was also spotted peeking into McIlroy’s golf bag before making the shot on the 17th. When asked if the Northern Irish golfer’s club choice affected his club selection, Spaun said he only did it to gauge if the club he used was a good fit for the distance he was aiming for.

“We get to the hole, I already knew what I’m going to hit. I didn’t care what Rory was hitting, but I looked just to like, gauge if the kind of shot that I hit with it was gonna determine whether it was gonna be the right distance. I mean, Rory’s two clubs longer than me. He’s one of the longest guys on tour. Everybody knows that,” Spaun said. [0:25]

Spaun’s disastrous shot gave McIlroy the advantage he needed to clinch the 2025 Players Championship title. He finished the tournament as a runner-up with a total score of 66-68-7072-11, while McIlroy finished with 67-68-73-68-13.

How much did J.J. Spaun win for his runner-up finish at the 2025 Players Championship?

The Players Championship has one of the biggest purses in golf. This year, golfers played for the total prize purse of $25 million. McIlroy went home with $4.5 million for winning the tournament, while the runner-up J.J. Spaun won $2.725 million.

Here’s a breakdown of the prize money won by players in the top five positions on the 2025 Players Championship leaderboard:

• Winner: Rory McIlroy - $4.5 million
• 2. J.J. Spaun: $2.725 million
• T3. Tom Hoge: $1.325 million
• T3. Akshay Bhatia: $1.325 million
• T3. Lucas Glover: $1.325 million
• T6. Danny Walker: $843,750
• T6. Corey Conners: $843,750
• T6. Bud Cauley: $843,750
• 9. Robert MacIntyre: $731,250