(Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

JJ Spaun never expected to become a major champion.

Then he won the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in June and has had to adjust to life playing above the radar on the PGA Tour.

When he tees off Thursday at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, he'll be playing in a marquee group with defending Open winner Xander Schauffele and two-time major champion Jon Rahm.

The company he keeps on the course is moving one direction, but the 34-year-old Spaun insists he's just the same guy he was before the career-changing victory at Oakmont. That's a player who isn't focusing on winning as much as he is on learning and getting better.

'This is my first Open, so get a proper links test. Just excited to make my debut here at such a beautiful venue,' the native Californian said.

'I think initially it will just be learning to play different shots,' he continued. 'You kind of want to play everything airborne in America, pick your number, try to fly it there, and hopefully it spins and stops near the hole.

'But links golf requires a lot more creativity, imagination, so learning to flight shots better and trying to guess bounces correctly is going to be sort of the challenge this week.'

Spaun said he is getting more recognition, even just walking down the street, but he still considers himself to be a humble person who is managing his own expectations and those of others. His win at the U.S. Open was his second on the PGA Tour.

'It's a big difference kind of having the spotlight on me now and expectations, but all I can do is just rely on the experiences that I've had, coming down the stretch at the U.S. Open, getting myself in the playoff at The Players.

'I've had way bigger challenges, whether it's life or golf or losing my card. I've had other issues to go through than just being more in the spotlight. So I'm learning to embrace it, and I'm excited for the challenge it brings.'

The next spotlight for Spaun could come at the Ryder Cup in September at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. He currently is No. 3 in the Ryder Cup rankings, behind Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. The top six automatically qualify.

'I don't think I've ever thought of being on the Ryder Cup or imagining myself on the Ryder Cup, but I've been hearing that a lot throughout the last few years. ... My caddie's (Mark Carens) always believed in me, even when I was ranked outside the top 100.'

'Here we are top 10 in the world,' Spaun continued. 'He always believed I could be on the Ryder Cup, and here we are looking pretty good for the Ryder Cup. It's just weird how you kind of hear -- you soak in those things that people tell you, and then it just sort of ends up happening. I think that has to do a lot with developing and believing it yourself.'

--Field Level Media