Looking for a fitting finish to a sensational season, Spieth poured in putts from all over East Lake and never gave Henrik Stenson or anyone else much of a chance Sunday in Atlanta.
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Throw in the FedEx Cup bonus cash and Spieth’s 2014-15 PGA Tour season total comes out to $22,030,465.
And, oh yeah, he’s once again the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. On the par-3 11th, after Stenson made a birdie from in tight, Spieth followed with a 45-foot birdie. But he made all the right noises on Saturday.
“I could have played better this week”, Day said as Spieth was powering toward the finish line.
The first person to greet him was his little sister, Ellie, who keeps him so grounded.
“A miracle save on 16”, Stenson called it.
He was speaking after shooting a two-under 68 in the third round and taking a one-shot lead over Swede Henrik Stenson.
Jason Day admits he headed in to the Tour Championship flat after last week’s dominant win at the BMW Championship.
Stenson had another ordinary day by his standards with his ball-striking, though he held it together for a 72.
Shot of the day: Spieth’s 46-foot birdie bomb on the 11 hole put a damper on any hopes of a Stenson comeback.
“His putting and mental focus is the best in the world. It’s hard to argue that”.
The same money is on offer to the player who tops this year’s FedEx Cup standings, with current race leader Jason Day only even par for this week’s tournament and seemingly out of contention for either prize on offer.
So Jordan Spieth, courtesy of an emphatic four-stroke waltz in the Tour Championship, has won the most majors of the year and the most money in any year. He won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average.
The cheque for second place is $US618,750, lifting his 2015 prizemoney earnings to $US3.97 million.
Back to back bogeys from Spieth at the fifth and sixth saw Stenson pull level, but Spieth was just too good on the greens.
He finished in a tie for 13th at Conway Farms and thanks to spectacular play throughout the year, Spieth had the opportunity to control his own destiny heading into the Tour Championship at East Lake.
In 35 previous starts on tour this year, Lee won the Greenbrier Classic in July, had two top thirds and seven top 10s. He still has events left on the European Tour. But Spieth ended up doing what he’s done all year; drain clutch putts. Spieth and Stenson will tee off at 1:45 pm EST, while Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson begin their final round at 1:25 pm EST. “Ever since then it has been a phenomenal run”, said Day who was struck down at the US Open in June by ongoing vertigo issues. All three of his Champions Tour victories have come in majors, the last a successful title defense in the Senior PGA Championship in May. His parents, girlfriend, grandfather and a tight group of high school friends from Dallas were there to watch another awesome performance in a year filled with him.
“Man did that putter pay off”, Spieth said on NBC.
“I’m still trying to work out how to come in to a week after a win with a lot of energy”, Day told Sky Sports 4. 5 and 6 to fall into a share of the lead with Stenson.
“It’s just like a major championship”.
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Jordan Spieth has made a clear path to a big payday (Yahoo.com).
