CASHING IN
Spieth caps dream year with 5th win, FedEx Cup and record $22 million
At age 22, Jordan
ATLANTA — Spieth became the fifirst $22 million man in golf Sunday.
Spieth capped offff a dream season when he poured in putts from all over East Lake and closed with a 1-under 69 for a four-shot victory in the Tour Championship. That was all he needed to become the youngest player to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.
His fififth victory of the year, including two majors, was worth $ 1,485,000 and allowed the ex-Longhorn to set a PGA Tour record with $12,030,465. And if that wasn’t enough, Spieth went back to No. 1 in the world.
His battle with Henrik Stenson long over, Spieth fifini shed it offff in fifitting fashion. He made an 8-foot par putt that was never going anywhere but right in the heart.
“This is one I cannot wait to celebrate,” Spieth said.
The fifirst person to greet him was his little sister, Ellie, who keeps him so grounded. His parents, girlfr iend, grandfather and high school friends from Dallas were at East Lake to watch another amazing performance in a year fifill ed with them.
Stenson couldn’t do much about it.
On two holes around the turn with the Swede in tight for a certain birdie, Spieth matched him with a 20-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth and a 45-foot birdie on the par-3 11th. At that point, Stenson just stared at Spieth with a wry smile and patted him on the back.
“It’s been a phenomenal year for him,” Stenson said after a 72 to tie for second. “I watched it firsthand at the first two rounds at Augusta, and he played phenomenal and putted phenomenal.
“His putting and mental focus is the best in the world.”
And there’s no longer an argument for PGA Tour player of the year.
Jason Day had five victories, including his first major at the PGA Championship, and there was talk a sixth win and the FedEx Cup might put the Australian in the discussion. Not anymore. Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open, missed a playoff by one shot at the British Open in his spirited run for the Grand Slam and was runner-up at the PGA.
Along with the money title, Spieth won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average.
Stenson made a $1 million putt of his own, though it was the least he could do. He was three shots behind when he shanked his shot from the 17th fairway and made double bogey. That dropped him into a four-way tie for fourth and moved him to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup. But he bounced back with a 60-foot birdie putt on the last hole to tie for second and finish No. 2 in the Cup for a $3 million bonus (instead of $2 million).
Danny Lee (65) and Justin Rose (66) joined Stenson in second place. For Stenson, it was his third runner-up finish in the Cup playoffs, and his fifth runner-up finish this year without a victory.
But this week — and year — was all about Spieth. “This is incredible,” he said. “This is an event where we approached it like a major championship. I didn’t have a great playoff, but I put a lot into this week. Mentally, I stayed in it. And boy, that putter sure paid off.”