JJ Spaun’s caddie told him 5 words. They built a life-changing player day

Nick Pistowski
JJ Spaun and his caddie Mark Carens held the 18th Green at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.
Getty Images
When you play for a player championship, you get more cash than you get in one game, and the type of recognition you have enjoyed by all the professionals you grew up on the golf channel, and the guy you are fighting against is one of the best people ever, and the moat yard to the left is a huge moat on the bottom left, and there is a pine straw under the ball, your head tends to move faster and faster than your head. This is understandable. People understand.
Mark Carrence seems to have done it.
The caddie’s boss, JJ Spaun, had struggled on Tee and Green Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, started the player with a lead, then coughed, then rally, and then followed Dogleg-Right, Par-4 18th, with him leading the way with Rory McIlroy, Rory McIlroy, Rory McIlroy, No. 2 in the world. Respected No. 57. The 34-year-old from Los Angeles (La) has won a happy life. He won the 2022 Valero Open in Texas. His prize money won over $140,000. A clean life.
But not spectacular. However, the player’s victory may drop this word no. The win will give you an enviable championship on the Wikipedia page: “Player Champion Champion”. But Spaun encountered some problems. His 18-year-old T-shirt ball drifts to the right and is now sitting on the fairway, on the pine straw. He needs to evaluate. How will he play? From 198 yards he would be happy to get a green ball or better one, but aggressiveness would also flirt with the water on the entire left side of the hole.
Then there is McIlroy.
On the green, he’s doing it for the green-well, Spaun doesn’t know. But he wanted the answer. He asked Jim “Bones” Mackay, an analyst on NBC who walked with Spaun, and shared five words from Carens on the radio, saying it might just help his man win.
“I think it’s really fun to walk along this fairway, guys,” McKay began.
“JJ walked up to me and asked me what Rory did with the 18th Green Fruit. It turned out to be for PAR.
“JJ’s caddie then walked over to him, put her arm on his shoulder and said, ‘Let’s stay.'”
These words are short. These words are very big. Karens has a trick on this. One of his former employers, Si Woo Kim, won the 2017 player. These words seem to work, too. On the second shot of Spaun, he manipulated the ball to the right side of the green, about 30 feet from the hole. His birdie effort was only a few inches shorter, but he got par and now he had a three-hole playoff date with McIlroy at 9 a.m. Monday.
On Sunday night, Spaun talked about the drama competition right now. After one-off, 54-hole lead, three-stroke deficit injured. But he said it made him free.
“I just tried to fight back,” Spaun said. “I’m a little odds. I have nothing to lose. Now, I’m trying to grab Rory, I can’t really control what he does, but I can control my work and I just started shooting, swing and trusting it more. Because it’s easy – now when I’m hunting, it’s easier to let go. And starting the round, I’m a little temporary, a little scared. I think that puts me in a very comfortable place to end the game.”
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Nick Pistowski
Of course, there is more golf.
But Spaun also has an idea.
Just one.
“I mean, everyone wants him to win,” Spaun said of McIlroy. “I don’t think a lot of people want me to win. I hope I can win. That’s what I care about.”
Is this his active place?
“Yes, of course,” Spaun said. “I love having the chance to play. I love having the chance to win, and now I love being the spotlight. I proved that to myself, walked down, made those holes, and maybe going my way tomorrow. Maybe I’m the one who everyone thinks should win.
“If so, that would be great.”
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Nick Pistowski
Golf.comEdit
Nick Piastowski is the senior editor of Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories throughout the golf field. And, when he didn’t write about how to hit golf more directly and directly, the Milwaukee man might be playing games, hitting the ball left, right and short, and then having a cold beer to wash off his score. You can contact him at nick.piastowski@golf.com.