Jordan Spieth capped a brilliant season in sensational style as he scored a four-stroke victory at the Tour Championship on 27 September, that also won him the FedExCup play-offs title for an $11.48m (£7.56m) prize.
Spieth shot a closing one-under-par 69 at East Lake Golf Club for a nine-under total of 271 and his fifth win of the season, including the Masters and US Open. The prize money haul included the $10m jackpot bonus for winning the seasons FedExCup points competition, virtually clinched him Player of the Year honour and returned the 22-year-old American to the number-one world ranking.
Swedens Henrik Stenson rolled in a 57-foot birdie putt at the last for a 72 to tie for second on five-under 275 with Englishman Justin Rose (66) and Danny Lee of New Zealand (65). I think of East Lake as one of the best golf courses we play all year so its really incredible to get a victory, said Spieth afterwards.
Spieth experienced a slight lull to his sensational season in the last month as Australian Jason Day went red-hot to win four of six events, including the PGA Championship and two of the FedExCup play-off tournaments. However, the ultra-competitive Spieth geared up for a run at the Tour Championship/FedExCup double and hit his target.
To come into the brightest stages and perform is going to give me a lot of confidence going forward because theres going to be ups and theres going to be downs, I know it, but to be able to bounce back this quickly from the low in my season is really cool, said Spieth, whose PGA Tour season earnings ballooned to $22m because of the FedExCup bonus.
Spieth once again wielded a magic putter to quash the hopes of his rivals. He began the day with a one-shot lead over Stenson, the 2013 FedExCup winner. He extended that advantage to two but after six holes the pair were tied when Spieth suffered a second consecutive bogey.
Spieth took command on the eighth hole by rolling in a 21-foot birdie putt, while Stenson bogeyed for a two-shot swing. Then after Stenson knocked his approach close at the ninth, Spieth rolled in an 18-footer to maintain his advantage.
Two holes later, Spieth rolled in 46-foot putt for birdie to retain his two-shot edge, drawing a wry grin from the Swede who acknowledged the Americans effort with a fist bump on the green.
With Rose, Lee, Dustin Johnson (64), Bubba Watson (67) and Englishman Paul Casey, who reached six-under before bogeys at 16 and 17, making charges, Spieth continued to use his putter to hold them at bay. He saved par at the 15th with a putt from nine feet and did so again at 16, and Stenson gave him breathing room with a double-bogey at 17 after shanking his approach shot.
