J.J. Spaun makes massive Ryder Cup move despite FedEx St. Jude Championship heartbreak

J.J. Spaun came close to victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship but still left Memphis with a major career milestone. The 34-year-old secured an automatic spot on Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup after his runner-up finish, despite losing to England’s Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff.

The Ryder Cup standings, posted on X on August 11 by Nosferatu, show Spaun jumping to No. 2 for Team USA, guaranteeing automatic qualification. The same applies to Rose, who climbed to No. 2 for Team Europe. The standings list Scottie Scheffler in first place for the U.S., followed by Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau, and Harris English as the top six automatic qualifiers. Europe’s top six include Rory McIlroy, Rose, Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, and Sepp Straka.

Nosferatu

@VC606

🚨Projected standings for the 2025 #RyderCup as of 11-Aug-2025 🇺🇸 @JJSpaun jumps to #2 and is guaranteed to qualify directly for #TeamUSA! 🇪🇺 @JustinRose99 jumps to #2 and is also guaranteed to qualify directly for #TeamEurope! 🇪🇺@LukeDonald 🇺🇸@Keegan_Bradley

Meanwhile, the final round at TPC Southwind saw Rose birdie four of his last five holes to force the playoff. He then birdied two of the three extra holes, including a clutch putt on the 18th green that sealed the win. Spaun’s seven-foot birdie attempt to extend the contest slid just past the left edge.

Tommy Fleetwood was in the mix late but bogeyed the 17th to miss the playoff by one stroke. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler also finished tied for third at 15-under. Spaun drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th to grab a share of the lead and closed with a 65. On the second playoff hole, he made a 30-foot birdie putt even with Rose in close, but the Englishman ultimately won. With that, let's look at J.J. Spaun's final round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in detail.

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How did J.J. Spaun perform in the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship?

J.J. Spaun kicked off this event by carding a 68 in the first round. He followed it up with a second round 66, improved with a third round 65, and kept the same momentum with a final round 65.

With that, here's a hole-by-hole look at J.J. Spaun's final round at the St. Jude Championship:

Front Nine:

• Hole 1 (Par 4): 3
• Hole 2 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 3 (Par 5): 5
• Hole 4 (Par 3): 3
• Hole 5 (Par 4): 5
• Hole 6 (Par 4): 3
• Hole 7 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 8 (Par 3): 2
• Hole 9 (Par 4): 3

Back Nine:

• Hole 10 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 11 (Par 3): 3
• Hole 12 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 13 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 14 (Par 3): 3
• Hole 15 (Par 4): 4
• Hole 16 (Par 5): 4
• Hole 17 (Par 4): 3
• Hole 18 (Par 4): 4

Total: 65