Spieth Claims FedEx Cup

“I could have easily been 3 over through eight” Spieth said. “This is an event we approached like a major championship because of everything we could achieve”.

Lee finished level with England’s Justin Rose on five-under, four strokes behind victor Jordan Spieth of the United States but ahead of a clutch of the world’s elite players in the 30-man field. On those occasions where he was in trouble, his putter – as so often – proved to be a loyal ally. He made an 18-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth with Stenson already at tap-in range for birdie. Imagine how Henrik Stenson felt when Spieth dropped in one big putt after another.

“Kept it together fairly nicely and we’re still at the races” Stenson said. But he just poured that one in the middle.

A Presidents Cup berth: Jim Furyk has withdrawn from the last two FedEx Cup playoff events with a bad wrist, and there is growing concern that Furyk won’t be able to play in the Presidents Cup for the United States next month.

With his fifth win of the year, including the Masters and US Open, Spieth broke the PGA Tour money record by adding $1.4 million for the East Lake win, taking him to $US12,030,465 for the season.

Day fell short of the $10 million payoff after collecting two earlier wins during the Playoffs.

On No. 18, the deflated Swede looked like he was just going through the motions and trying to stay out of Spieth’s way. His scrambling percentage was a season-high and field-best 84 percent.

The total of $22.03 million includes the $10 million bonus Jordan Spieth earned for winning the 2015 FedEx Cup.

“It’s been a phenomenal year for him”, Stenson said.

“I got frustrated. I missed two cuts in a row, had never done that, lost the number one ranking. Greens are firm and fast this week, and the greens at Poppy Hills have more pin placements than I remember when I played there on the PGA Tour”.That sounds all well and good, but can he really do it? “It’s hard to argue that”.

There is a fair chance Lee will have Kiwi company on the PGA Tour next year, after solid efforts by Tim Wilkinson and Steven Alker in the web.com Tour playoffs on Monday. According to the PGA Tour’s Twitter account, he’s the youngest player since Horton Smith (21) in 1929 to win five times in a season.

Spieth despite the money involved today was not anxious and not under pressure.

The only question he couldn’t answer was what he will do for an encore.

“It’s fantastic. I have an opportunity now, with a year like this and a bonus like that, to celebrate and to share it with the people that have made it possible – and that’s kind of the plan”. In fact, with that win Jordan has now taken home a record $12 million in one season. Spieth chipped his fourth shot to within a couple of feet and he settled for bogey.

Spieth took command on the eighth hole by rolling in a 21-foot birdie putt, while Stenson bogeyed for a two-shot swing.