Among the many notable contenders chasing the BMW PGA Championship lead at Wentworth this weekend is 2025 U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun.
Fans probably didn’t expect to see Spaun’s name in the field this week given that he both withdrew from the Tour Championship with a shoulder injury just three weeks ago and had no history playing at this tournament until prior to Thursday’s opening round.
Spaun told reporters after carding a 6-under 66 in Surrey, England on Friday that he didn’t expected to be left off captain Brandt Snedeker’s U.S. Presidents Cup roster for Medinah despite the injury which he had described at the time as being like a “knife in my right shoulder blade.”
“It was disappointing to be left off,” Spaun said. “I wasn’t really — I wasn’t expecting it to be honest.”
He added that he had circled Wentworth if he didn’t get the chance to play at the 2026 Presidents Cup.
“I’m here and I’m just doing what I do — play golf, and do the best that I can,” said Spaun, who entered the clubhouse two shots off the lead at 8 under after 36 holes.
He now sits four back of Ryan Gerard’s lead 12 under heading into the weekend. Gerard was another player left on the wrong side of the U.S. Presidents Cup team bubble, with Snedeker electing to pick 21-year-old Jackson Koivun.
Gerard got into the clubhouse with a bogey-free 65 by dominating the final two par-5s on the course. He posted an eagle at the 610-yard 17th hole before finishing with a birdie at 18 to gain three strokes on the field.
“Stayed patient all day,” he told reporters. “You know when you get to the last couple holes at Wentworth here, they are gettable. There’s also trouble lurking, so you have to be careful. Just felt like we were putting the ball in the right spots all day. Good things happen when you sick to the plan and execute shots.”
‘Odd man out’
Spaun believes his performance the 2025 Ryder Cup would have been enough to get him onto the Presidents Cup roster as a captain’s pick.
Additionally, he won the Valero Texas Open in April and finished in the top 30 in the FedExCup points list this summer — good enough to make it to Atlanta for the season finale before the shoulder flared up.
“I kind of did everything I could,” Spaun said. “I was the odd man out.”
The third round of the BMW PGA Championship is underway at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England.