"Was doing the wrong things" - When J.J. Spaun overcame the misdiagnosed health condition

J.J. Spaun was once misdiagnosed with diabetes and struggled with health issues for two years. In the fall of 2018, the American golfer suddenly started losing weight and was initially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

However, despite medical treatment, his condition only worsened, and after almost three years, he eventually learned that he was actually dealing with Type 1 diabetes. In one of his interviews in 2022, J.J. Spaun opened up about his misdiagnosed health issues and said via NBC Sports:

“I went through two years of struggling. I’m not blaming that, but that was another contributing factor. I was doing the wrong things. The regimen for Type 2 is a little different than for a Type 1; I’m not even getting the right medicine to regulate my blood sugar.…

"I was eating nothing, probably less than 1,500 calories a day, and still having high-glucose side effects as a ‘Type 2,’ so that’s why I needed the insulin to help level that out and be able to eat more calories in general," he added.

J.J. Spaun turned pro in 2012 but only started playing on the PGA Tour in 2017. However, during his initial days on the circuit, he struggled with his game, particularly because he was misdiagnosed.

Finally, in 2022, Spaun had a blast and claimed his maiden PGA Tour win. He won the 2022 Valero Texas Open after defeating Matt Jones and Matt Kuchar by two strokes to seize his maiden win on the Tour.

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When J.J. Spaun reflected on losing his PGA Tour card

The initial days of his career on the PGA Tour were full of struggles for J.J. Spaun. He struggled with his health issues and then even lost his PGA Tour card after the 2019-20 season because of his poor form. However, the American worked hard and regained the card for the 2021-22 season.

In one of his interviews with Golf's Subpar in 2022, Spaun reflected on how, after losing his card, he bounced back and regained his status on the Tour. He said via Golf.com:

"I think maybe that was the best thing for me. It’s not like it was a mental thing that I was taking for granted of being on Tour, but it was like, wow, you had something you wanted so badly and now it’s gone. Not even conditional status.

"I don’t know, I think going to Boise and finishing second, I think that gave me a little of my confidence back and knowing you are obviously going to go through some bad times and play bad golf, but there’s still some spark there and still some light at the end of the tunnel," he added.

Now, after years of struggle, J.J. Spaun has had a good season on the PGA Tour in 2025. In the eight tournaments he played this season, he had two finishes in the top 10, including a runner-up finish at the 2025 Cognizant Classic.

Interestingly, this week at The Players Championship, Spaun is once again in contention to win his second PGA Tour event.