Why did J.J. Spaun withdraw from Tour Championship? Here's what happened during sixth hole

J.J. Spaun's 2026 Tour Championship campaign ended abruptly as he stepped away from the PGA Tour’s season-ending event after playing only five holes.

J.J. Spaun’s 2026 Tour Championship campaign ended abruptly Thursday after he withdrew during the sixth hole of the opening round at East Lake Golf Club.

J.J. Spaun’s withdrew during the sixth hole of the opening round at East Lake Golf Club. (AFP)

Why did J.J. Spaun withdraw?

The 36-year-old stepped away from the PGA Tour’s season-ending event after playing only five holes because of a shoulder injury, according to the Golf Channel broadcast.

What possibly caused Spaun's injury?

Spaun later suggested the problem may have stemmed from “a poor sleeping position.” He was seen leaving East Lake in a golf cart after deciding he could not continue.

"I tried to push through it," Spaun said, according to Golfweek.

“With the torque and the amount of force in a golf swing, it just doesn't feel comfortable. I'm nowhere in my game health-wise to be able to compete at the highest level,” he further explained.

Treatment failed to ease pain

Spaun told Golf Channel that he first noticed “a sharp pain” around his right shoulder blade when he woke up Tuesday morning.

After receiving treatment, the American golfer remained hopeful that the discomfort would ease enough for him to compete Thursday.

J.J. Spaun later suggested the problem may have stemmed from “a poor sleeping position.” (Getty Images via AFP)

However, the injury continued to affect his golf swing and ultimately forced him to pull out after just five holes.

"It's happened to me before, but it's never persisted this long. Me and my physio, we kind of worked through it and hit some balls Tuesday. It flared up pretty bad. I couldn't play any holes after hitting balls for about 45 minutes," Spaun said.

Spaun chooses caution

Spaun also explained that he did not want to aggravate the injury before finding out what was causing the discomfort.

"I just didn't want to cause any further damage before I assess this correctly and see what's going on in there," he further explained.

Spaun’s season included major upswing

Spaun returned to Atlanta after placing 25th in his first Tour Championship appearance last year. He began this week 22nd in the FedExCup standings after tying for 22nd at the BMW Championship.

The World No. 16 endured a difficult start to the season, missing the cut in four of his first seven tournaments. However, after failing to make the weekend at the Valspar Championship, Spaun bounced back two weeks later by winning the Valero Texas Open.

Tour Championship payday guaranteed

At East Lake, Spaun was scheduled to be paired with Min Woo Lee for the first two rounds.

Despite his early withdrawal, Spaun was assured of a payout simply by qualifying for the PGA Tour's season-ending event. Even the player finishing last was guaranteed $355,000.