Kriti Mehrotra
As a proud native of Los Angeles, California, John Michael “JJ” Spaun Jr. grew up surfing and skateboarding at every free moment, all the while secretly developing a passion for golf. His mother was an avid golfer and had even received her doctor’s permission to continue playing while pregnant with him, only for him to receive his first set of clubs at the age of 3. He never received any formal lessons growing up, but his passion never wavered, so he gradually decided to pursue the sport full-time and build a career in it.
How Did JJ Spaun Earn His Money?
While JJ started out by hitting golf balls into a net his father had set up in their garage, he was playing for local teams by the time the mid-2000s rolled around, when he was in high school. The San Dimas High School student had finally begun to embrace his passion, becoming a California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) finalist in both 2007 and 2008. He subsequently enrolled at San Diego State University, where he played at the collegiate level as a walk-on all four years and proved his mettle one event at a time.
JJ reportedly had four Top-10 finishes with a stroke average of 72.59 during his freshman season, only to keep the momentum going. In fact, he won his first individual collegiate title at the Thunderbird Invitational in 2010, after which he was named to the All-Mountain West Conference (MW) team. He then defended his title at the Thunderbird Invitational in 2011, finished 3rd at the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Championship, and landed another All-Mountain West Conference selection. He secured three more individual titles during his senior year, helped his collegiate team in the 2012 NCAA Division I Championship, and was named the 2011 Mountain West Conference Golfer of the Year.
The moment JJ graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science in 2012, he decided to turn professional and finally shine a light on the sport he had always loved. He continued to surf and skateboard for a while, but his heart was in golf, and he slowly yet surely established a name for himself there thanks to his determination, patience, and skills. In fact, he won the first-ever professional tournament he competed in, the Gateway Tour in Arizona in 2013, only to use the $10,000 prize money to cover his expenses at PGA Tour Canada that summer. He ultimately finished 38th on the Canadian Tour and earned playing status for the next year. Unfortunately, 2014 wasn’t great for him: he missed six of the seven cuts, earned only $825, and lost his playing privileges for the ensuing season in 2015.
Nevertheless, JJ was determined to prove his mettle, so he went to qualifying school, regained his playing card, and then performed well. He even won the Staal Foundation Open in July 2015, allowing him to play the RBC Canadian Open, where he finished 41st. That same year, he even broke the PGA Tour Canada record for single-season earnings, especially with four consecutive Top-5 finishes and six consecutive Top-10s. The ensuing year was also good for him, as he played in the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open through a sponsor’s exemption, competed on the Web.com Tour, and earned his PGA Tour card for the following year.
JJ had three Top-10 finishes during his rookie season, had four Top-10s during his sophomore year, including a runner-up finish at the RSM Classic, and then he secured two Top-10 finishes in 2018-2019. Unfortunately, he did not play well over the ensuing two seasons and even lost his PGA Tour card in 2021, only to regain his playing privileges by dominating the Korn Ferry Tour. He even placed runner-up at the Albertsons Boise Open in 2021, following which he secured his first-ever PGA Tour win at the Valero Texas Open in April 2022. He made his Masters Tournament debut the following weekend, finishing as a tied 23rd after making the cut.
JJ’s 2024 record was also impressive, as he recorded three Top-10 finishes in the second half after a not-so-great start, proving to himself that he has what it takes to handle the pressure. Therefore, he kept this mindset in 2025, which turned out to be his Breakthrough season, as he not only won the US Open in June but was also selected to the US Team for the Ryder Cup. Throughout the year, he went head-to-head with athletes like Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns, Robert MacIntyre, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, and many more, and almost all of his results were close calls, owing to how well he performed. Then, in April 2026, he won the Valero Texas Open.
JJ Spaun’s Net Worth
Since JJ Spaun has been playing at a professional level for about 14 years as of writing, he has likely managed to accumulate significant wealth. His primary source of income is his performance in events, as he secures a purse each time he makes a cut, but sponsorships also help him along the way. We should mention that in 253 events, he has made the cut 161 times, with three wins, four runner-up finishes, five third place positions, 14 T0p-5s, 29 Top-10s, and 63 Top-25s. Therefore, as of writing, his official payouts total up to an astounding $27,989,690 (close to 28 million).
JJ reportedly made next to nothing during his early professional years, but things started to change from 2015 onwards as he secured $91,193 on the 2015 PGA Canada Tour (renamed Mackenzie Tour). Then, in 2016, he bagged another $350,832, followed by $1,142,911 in 2017, $1,930,477 in 2018, $1,183,127 in 2019, $232,472 in 2020, and $419,752 in 2021. These numbers changed drastically from then on, as he made $1,548,000 from the Valero Texas Open before finishing the season with a total of $3 million in official payouts. He earned another $3,060,781 in 2023, $1,645,747 in 2024, and $8,711,840 in 2025, with $4.3 million coming from his US Open win and $2.725 million coming from the Players Championship. Thus, taking all these aspects into account, along with his 2026 Valero Open win, his assets, investments, returns, and his expenses as a happily married family man, we believe JJ’s net worth to be $17 million.
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