JJ Spaun: the pinnacle of golf despite diabetes

Cabo San Lucas, BCS – Anyone who doesn't know JJ Spaun might think he's just an ordinary man. Shy yet affable, he walks calmly, flashing a few smiles, as if there's nothing to worry about in life.

But his peace of mind comes from the opposite. John Michael Spaun Jr. , better known as JJ and currently the sixth-ranked golfer in the world, went through a delicate health situation that caused him multiple worries, to the point of considering giving up his sport.

In 2018, when he was only in his second season on the PGA Tour , he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He was 28 years old and had a rising career that suddenly turned dark.

“The fact that it happened almost halfway through my career, at a fairly young age, completely disrupted my professional plans,” JJ Spaun told El Economista, during his participation in the World Wide Technology (WWT) Championship 2025 in Los Cabos.

“I didn’t know where I was going to play and what I was going to do with my career,” emphasizes the man who is now a top 10 player in the world and a major champion (US Open 2025).

Life change

JJ Spaun is the highest-ranked player in the field for the 2025 WWT Championship , one of the two tournaments the PGA Tour organizes annually in Mexico. There are no other top 10 players, but there is a top 20 player in Ben Griffin (12) and another major champion in Wyndham Clark (2023 US Open).

Therefore, Spaun's photo appears in various advertising spaces for the tournament, both inside the El Cardonal at Diamante course and on digital platforms. He is one of the players to watch.

But he takes that popularity in stride. He says it came after winning the US Open in June, with a score of 279 (-1), finishing ahead of Scotland's Robert MacIntyre (281) and Norway's Viktor Hovland (282). Financially, it earned him a prize of $4.3 million.

—How much has your life changed since that title?

—“It has changed a lot. Now I have many more opportunities (in tournaments) and being more recognized has also been different. It's great, I've worked very hard all my life to achieve something big and I've finally achieved it, so this is very rewarding.”

Born in Los Angeles 35 years ago, golf isn't the only thing that stands out in his daily life. Besides his family, he's a fan of the Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), skateboarder Tony Hawk, and the rock band Led Zeppelin.

However, he admits that lifting the trophy at the US Open, a 125-year-old tournament, was a turning point.

“In a way, I do like this change. But I’m also a bit shy, so I don’t like being recognized in public and sometimes I feel uncomfortable,” he says with a small smile.

“But, well, it’s part of the job. And if I can use my exposure in a positive way, I’ll make the most of it.”

Resilience and example

This positive portrayal of his image stems from the way he talks about how he overcame diabetes and how he maintains a high level of athletic performance.

“Diabetes is one of those things that complicates things a bit, but it also makes you stronger, in the sense that everything seems easy to do and achieve.

"So to those who are battling this disease, I would say stay strong. If you can control diabetes, you can control anything."

JJ Spaun's final diagnosis in 2021 was type 1 diabetes. Interestingly, he won his only two PGA Tour titles after that point: the 2022 Valero Texas Open and the 2025 U.S. Open. He also represented the United States at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

—How do you currently take care of your health to continue excelling as a professional athlete?

—“It’s important to exercise and maintain a very healthy diet. Obviously, starting insulin was a huge help. It helped me maintain the stamina and energy to compete, and also helped my muscle mass grow where it needed to. It’s one of those things that everyone deals with differently, but perseverance is the best thing you can do.”

The US Open title meant a significant financial boost for him. He had less than $20 million in earnings before that tournament, and currently, according to his PGA profile, he has $25.77 million. Almost half of that ($13.13 million) was earned specifically in the 2025 season.

But beyond the economic boost, he seeks to leave a legacy through his example. Mexico, the country he is visiting this weekend for the WWT Championship, has more than 14 million cases of diabetes, according to the World Population Review website.

—What advice would you give to children in Mexico to avoid suffering from this condition?

“I would tell them that if they have access to medical care, they should get checked because they don’t want to suffer the symptoms like I did, without knowing it. I wasn’t getting frequent checkups to monitor my blood sugar or to see the results of other tests, so I think it’s a good idea to be proactive. But the most important thing is to stay active. I think that if you don’t have access to medical care, as long as you stay active and eat a very healthy diet, it won’t affect you as much.”

In addition, JJ Spaun has a special connection to Mexico. He tells this newspaper that his maternal grandmother's family was originally from Guadalajara, although his grandmother was a first-generation Mexican-American.

She regrets not traveling to Mexico frequently, but says she loves the "food, hospitality, weather and beaches," and that she spent her honeymoon in Los Cabos.

“I’m very happy to be here. I like the course and it’s a great week for me to be here with my family. I’m really looking forward to having a great week and playing well,” concludes JJ Spaun, the golf sensation who beats diabetes every day.