JJ Spaun uses Presidents Cup snub as fuel to win BMW PGA, Jacob Bridgeman stays hot in first fall series event

The shortest offseason in professional sports came to a close this past week as the PGA Tour kicked off its FedEx Cup Fall series with the Biltmore Championship after a three-week hiatus. Three weeks too long, if you ask me.

Across the pond, the DP World Tour produced a loaded leaderboard in one of its flagship events at the BMW PGA Championship, and the two players who ultimately raised hardware at the respective stops have ties to the U.S. Presidents Cup team, albeit in completely opposite capacities.

The Presidents Cup will get underway from Medinah Country Club in Illinois on Thursday, and while the event that has been completely dominated by the Americans since its inception in 1994 undoubtedly lacks juice compared to the Ryder Cup, this year's go-around should provide a glimpse into what the future may hold.

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With the experience of representing the United States in the 2025 Ryder Cup and finishing 10th on the Presidents Cup points list, many assumed that JJ Spaun would be selected as a captain's pick for the battle at Medinah. Instead, U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker went in a different direction, using four of his six picks to select players who finished below Spaun in the standings. Ben Griffin, who finished eighth in points, was also passed over by Snedeker.

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Spaun won the Valero Texas Open back in April and picked up three more Top 10 finishes on Tour in 2026, but also stumbled towards the end of the season and actually withdrew from the Tour Championship, citing a shoulder injury.

The circumstances, understandably so, led Snedeker to go in a different direction with his captain's picks, but after the 36-year-old's performance at the BMW PGA Championship, Snedeker may be wishing he had selected the former U.S. Open champion.

Spaun fired a final-round 67 at Wentworth on Sunday to earn a two-shot victory, and bested the likes of Aaron Rai, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Ryan Fox, who all finished within three shots of the lead.

It was an impressive but also surprising performance from Spaun, who had just one Top 20 finish to his name dating back to mid-June. He was quick to admit after his Sunday performance that he was out there playing with a bit of extra motivation.

"I played with a huge chip on my shoulder; I definitely had something to prove this week," Spaun explained. "Everything happens for a reason. I'm so delighted to be here and even just play this event; I've always wanted to play for the longest of times. The extra motivation, I think that is the will power that you have, the determination is a strong factor.

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"Being left off the Presidents Cup team a couple of weeks ago was very disappointing and I wanted to prove that I deserved to be on that team and I took care of my business this week."

The Americans should handle the International side at Medinah this week as the overwhelming favorites, but if Snedeker's captain's picks do go out and struggle, the discourse about Spaun deserving to be among the 12-man team will ramp up in a hurry.

While arguments can now easily be made that Spaun should have been a captain's pick, one player everyone can agree on that he couldn't possibly be swapped out for is Jacob Bridgeman.

The 26-year-old finished 12th in the U.S. team standings before having his name called by Snedeker, which is a decision nobody can fault after Bridgeman secured his second win of the year at the Biltmore Championship on Sunday.

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The former Clemson standout has been among the most consistent players on Tour in 2026 with a total of 12 Top 25s, and just one missed cut in his 24 starts. He did not make any sort of noise in any of the four major championships, but should roll into the Presidents Cup oozing confidence with his victory piggybacking off of a ninth at the BMW Championship and a T-4 at the Tour Championship.

Jackson Koivun could garner more attention than any other player teeing it up in the Presidents Cup this week, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and that's fair as a 21-year-old rookie, but Bridgeman deserves eyeballs as well.

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He's suddenly the 20th-ranked player on Earth and is among the best putters in the game, and is actually ranked first on Tour in strokes gained: putting.

Bridgeman isn't necessarily going to wow you, but he very well could be a leader in that 'next group of guys' who could be a staple representing the red, white, and blue in years to come.

Medinah is a huge opportunity, not only for him to showcase his game on a team stage in incredibly unique circumstances, but also a chance for him to show some personality, which is something no American golf fan would be disappointed by.