Jordan Spieth caps off stellar season with FedEx Cup win

The final act of the drama was as good as any role that Jordan Spieth played through the season, as golf’s poster boy returned to the world number one spot with a fifth win of the season. In also scooping the $10 million jackpot as the winner of the FedEx Cup playoffs, Spieth’s impressive victory in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club - shooting a final round 69 for 271, nine-under-par - simply capped off a stellar season for the 22-year-old Texan.

Spieth’s capacity to close the deal all season has been quite extraordinary, and back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth of his final round gave him the cushion to push on and reaffirm his credentials as the ultimate closer. On those occasions where he was in trouble, his putter - as so often - proved to be a loyal ally.

In the end, when the large cheques and bonuses were being handed out, it was again Spieth who was the recipient of most of the largesse.

Any chance that Sweden’s Stenson had of taking a second FedEx Cup payday inside three years evaporated with three bogeys mid-round, on the eighth, 10th and 12th, and instead he became a minor player in the drama as Spieth assumed the role of main character. The only time Stenson got into the spotlight was when it proved to be too late, rolling in a monster birdie putt on the 18th to get into a share of second with Justin Rose and Danny Lee.

Rose’s own quest for the title effectively finished on the 10th when he hit his drive out of bounds in running up a double bogey. “I have got way more into my process, committed to a lot of shots,” said Rose of his improved late-season form.

But it was no way near sufficient to stifle Spieth, who had four shots to spare over his nearest challengers. It was, once again, Spieth’s day. He may have missed the cut twice in four FedEx Cup events, but his timely return to form ensured that he finished the season as the leading monmey earner on the PGA Tour and returned - leapfrogging Jason Day - to number one in the world.

Spieth - winner of two Majors this season, the US Masters and the US Open, as well as regular events in the Valspar and the John Deere Classic - overcame back-to-back bogeys on the fifth and sixth with back-to-back birdies on the eight and ninth and again showed his resilience by rebounding from a bogey on the 10th with a birdie on the 11th.

For Rory McIlroy, it proved to be a frustrating and infuriating weekend. And the Northern Irishman - who struggled off the tee and on approach shots in the final round, epitomised by another pulled shot into water on the 17th that led to an ugly triple bogey seven on the penultimate hole - finished with a 74 for 281, one-over. McIlroy dropped 11 places down to tied-16th after starting out in fifth.

Quite remarkably, Spieth’s on-course winnings for 2015 broke through the $22 million mark: $12m in regular winnings, and $10m for the playoff bonus. After so much individual glory through the 2015 season, Spieth now turns his attention to the upcoming Presidents Cup where he will become a team player.