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J.J. Spaun Recalls Cleaning Harris English’s Shoes
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- J.J. Spaun Recalls Cleaning Harris English’s Shoes
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The 2025 U.S. Open champion once cleaned the shoes of the player who beat him in a crucial amateur final. J.J. Spaun worked the locker room at Torrey Pines while a student, scrubbing the mud off the white shoes of Harris English. English had defeated Spaun in the quarterfinals of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links just months before. The irony of the situation remains a favorite story for Spaun, who now holds a major trophy while English has five PGA Tour wins.
The job was a fundraiser for the San Diego State men's golf team. Spaun walked on without a scholarship in 2009 before earning a partial one. The team program worked the Farmers Insurance Open every year to raise cash for their program. Spaun recalled the moment English walked into the shoe room on a rainy day. The pro arrived with white shoes covered in mud and simply said, "JJ." Spaun replied, according to Yardbarker , "Yeah, man. Here, I'll take your shoes. Give me your shoes."
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The Money That Never Reached the Worker
English tipped well for the service, but the cash never reached Spaun's pocket. The team rules required all tip money to go directly to the school program. Spaun noted the frustration of the long drive to the course without extra cash. "Yes, Harris took care of us, but we didn't get to count the tips. I was like, 'Come on, man. I need some gas. It's a 30-minute drive each way.' But apparently, the money went to the program," Spaun said. He added that modern NIL rules might have allowed players to keep that cash today.
The match that started this dynamic happened in June 2011 at Bandon Dunes. At age 20, Spaun competed against English, a Georgia alum and Walker Cup contender who had recently graduated. The winner of that event earned a Masters invitation, raising the stakes high. On the par-five 17th hole, Spaun fell behind by one stroke just as his performance deteriorated. A two-stroke penalty was levied because he marked his ball away from the green. The eagle putt turned into a par attempt, causing him to forfeit both the hole and the match.
From the Shoe Room to the Winner's Circle
English reached the semifinals of that 2011 event before Corbin Mills won the title. English secured his 2012 PGA Tour card by finishing in a tie for 13th place at the 2011 Q-School. Shortly thereafter, he entered the Torrey Pines shoe room as a professional who received payment. Spaun described the feeling of shining shoes for men he had recently beaten in competition. "By the time you're a senior, you're like, there's all these freakin* guys that like I was just beaten up on like last year that are on tour now, and I'm shining the freakin* shoes. So, yeah, it kind of like wore off, you know, the beauty of it," Spaun said.
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Both men have moved far past those early days on the tour. Victory in the 2013 FedEx St. Jude Classic followed, along with participation in the 2021 Ryder Cup. Spaun captured the 2025 U.S. Open title, a victory that likely would have shocked him as a college student. The story highlights the long road from amateur competition to the highest level of professional golf. It also shows how the game brings players together in unexpected ways long before they become rivals on Sunday.
Spaun shared the story on the We Need a Fourth Podcast, where he was asked if any golfer's shoes he cleaned were done poorly. He immediately pointed to English as the target of the joke. The pair laughed about the irony of the situation during the interview. The memory is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in golf. A student scrubbing mud off a rival's shoes can end up holding the same major trophy years later.
