Supplied – Keith AllisonThe FedEx Cup Playoffs came to a close this past Sunday with sophomore sensation Jordan Spieth rolling in an eight-foot putt for par, the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup, and world No. 1 honours as if it were a gimme — something golf fans were used to seeing him do all season long.
The FedEx Cup, as noted by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem as he handed Spieth the bonus cheque of $10 million, “is designed to reward the player who had a consistent, outstanding season all year long, but plays his best under the brightest lights,” and it most certainly did this year.
The Tour Championship was Spieth’s fifth victory this season since winning the Valspar Championship in March, the John Deere Classic for the second straight year, and most notably, the first two majors of 2015 — the Masters and the U.S. Open. For any golfer to win two majors before their 22nd birthday is incredible, but in the style Spieth won, it was exceptional. He won the 79th Masters by four shots, tying the all-time tournament record of -18 previously held alone by Tiger Woods. Then went on to win the U.S. Open to have the first half of the grand slam checked off for the first time since Tiger Woods in 2002.
Although he didn’t achieve the grand slam, he finished tied for fourth at the Open and second at the PGA Championship, which adds up to just four golfers besting him at all four majors combined, something that only one other player has accomplished, 24-year-old Tiger Woods.
So with these comparisons, is’t possible that we are seeing the next Tiger? Maybe one who won’t see their career collapse at the hands of an infidelity scandal and having his ’09 escalade smashed to bits by his wife with a 9-iron? Whether you believe there’s a new sheriff in town or not, the old one has certainly given his two weeks notice. Tiger’s 2015 was less than spectacular, boasting just one top 10 finish (a tie for tenth), and made just six cuts in 11 starts. He hasn’t won an event in over two years and his last major win, the 2008 U.S. Open, seems like a distant memory. Suffice to say, the 39-year-old that once dominated the game would need more than a couple lucky bounces to capture a 15th major title. He remains the all-time money leader, and will for quite a while, but at the pace Spieth is going it’s possible he’ll catch Tiger down the road.
Including the FedEx Cup prize money, Spieth amassed a total of $20,030,465 this year. A quick breakdown of Spieth’s earnings shows that he made on average $881,219 per event played, $259,346 per round, $13,908 per hole, and $3,623 per shot. Imagine that, you’d have your annual golf membership fees paid for at the top of your backswing, and next year’s tuition covered by the time you reach the first green. Of course, who would still be in school if they could play like Jordan Spieth did this year? Not I.
Indeed, Spieth’s 2015 is one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen, but he wasn’t the only one experiencing success this year. Australia’s Jason Day also won five events, four of which came in his last seven tournaments including the RBC Canadian Open, the PGA Championship where he became the first player to ever go 20 under par in a major, and two of the four playoff events in which he won by six shots each. Then there’s 26 year-old Rickie Fowler who triumphed over the world’s best at the season’s “fifth major,” The Players Championship, and again at the second playoff event where he finished -15 to beat Henrik Stenson by one shot. 2015 was a tremendous year to be a golf fan, and if you belong to a dying breed of Tiger fans that plan on watching NASCAR on Sundays once he’s gone for good, I recommend otherwise. Together, Spieth, Day, and maybe even Fowler, join the well-established Rory McIlroy and his four majors as the next wave of young talent atop the world golf rankings that every other PGA player will be hunting down every week, and every young golfer with a dream will aspire to be.
