J.J. Spaun claims Rory McIlroy ‘hurt’ him at The Masters with brutal comment which even left Shane Lowry shocked

J.J. Spaun in action at THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 / Rory McIlroy during the second round of the 2023 Players Championship

Rory McIlroy already broke J.J. Spaun’s heart once at The Players Championship back in March.

And he seemingly did it again at The Masters back in April, according to Spaun himself.

McIlroy won The Players Championship at the famed TPC Sawgrass four months ago, defeating Spaun in a play-off.

Spaun said that McIlroy was great to play alongside at The Players, so the two golfers clearly got on very well with each other.

Following the Northern Irishman’s play-off win, he spoke to the media and shared his delight at winning one of the biggest trophies in the game.

Rory McIlroy during the second round of the 2023 Players Championship
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
McIlroy suggested that he couldn’t believe Spaun hit his ball into the water on the 17th hole, after rifling his eight-iron through the wind.

And just one month later, the world number two clearly wasn’t about to let Spaun forget about his mishap at The Players.

J.J. Spaun claims Rory McIlroy ‘hurt’ him at The Masters with brutal comment

If you have shocked Shane Lowry with a bit of banter, then you must have just said something truly outrageous.

McIlroy bumped into Spaun at Augusta National ahead of The Masters in April.

And as the 35-year-old walked past the recently crowned US Open champion, he said something that was absolutely brutal.

Spaun lifted the lid on McIlroy’s comments during an appearance on GOLF’s Subpar Podcast.

He said: “It was a playoff for the par three contest at The Masters. I am walking back to the par three course and Rory is like leaving the range and we are crossing paths.

“He was like are you doing a play-off for the par three contest? I was like, yeah, I guess. He was like ‘better get the club right this time’.

J.J. Spaun in action at THE PLAYERS Championship 2025
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
“That hurt, that hit me dip. Shane Lowry was there and was like f—— hell Rory! I know it’s a rinky dink par three, but it was still a little too soon to hear that.“

Spaun’s heartache turned into elation just three months after The Players, when he won the US Open in remarkable fashion.

However, he clearly won’t be allowed to move on from his mishap at Sawgrass anytime soon!

J.J. Spaun’s PGA Tour season by numbers

The 34-year-old American has jumped up into a whole new stratosphere on the PGA Tour in 2025.

The man from Los Angeles, California, has always been a solid performer, but he has clearly elevated his game to another level this season.

He has shown real consistency as well as proving that he has the ability to turn up and win the very biggest golf tournaments in the world.

Results
Spaun’s totals

Events played
18

Wins
1

Top-10s
5

Top-25s
8

Cuts made
15

Spaun’s numbers this season have been mightily impressive, and they could have been even better had he beaten McIlroy in the play-off at The Players Championship.

And despite his fine victory at Oakmont, that defeat at TPC Sawgrass will still be hurting him, especially with McIlroy refusing to go easy with the ribbing.