Henrik Stenson managed to hold off rookie Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker on the last day of action in the PGA Tour Championship, finishing 2-under 68 to win by three shots, while finishing atop the FedEx Cup standings, taking home the $10 million prize.
"Since the Scottish Open, it's been just an incredible run," said Stenson. "It hasn't quite sunk in yet. I had to fight hard mentally to keep all this aside, and I managed to do that. It's going to feel better as the week goes on. I'm pretty sure about that."
Stenson had a nine-shot lead, at one point during Saturday's Round 3 action before heavy rains broke his concentration - making three late bogeys as the rain poured - but ended the day maintaining his four-shot lead. Stenson played much sharper on Sunday, earning a birdie on 15 and bogeying only once, on 14th, to end the last round of the fourth and final FedEx Cup playoffs.
"We know it's never over when you've got a four-shot lead," said Stenson. "But in one sense, it could have been good because it really made me focus, go out there, and really play my game because I knew I had to play a good game of golf to hold the guys off."
Stenson's summer run - which included third place finishes at the Scottish Open and PGA Championship; runner-up finishes at the Open Championship and World Golf Championship; and victories at the FedEx Cup's Deutsche Bank Championship and PGA Tour Champion - puts the Swede in position to win the PGA Player of the Year award. Stenson was ranked 230th in the world early in the year and is now ranked 4th on the strength of his top 3 finishes in his last eight events, with the Race to Dubai on the European Tour and BMW Masters in China left on his schedule.
Tiger Woods, the number one ranked player in the world going into the Tour Championship, never recovered from horrible start at the PGA Tour Championship, closing out with a 67 to tie for 22nd, his worst finish ever at East Lake Golf Club. Woods ended up winning the FedEx Cup second place prize worth $3 million. Woods did captured the PGA Tour money title and the Vardon Trophy - given to the lowest adjusted scoring title.
Woods is also a nominee for the PGA Tour Player of the Year award - having won five tournaments this season.
"I had a number of chances to win some tournaments. I won five, which is, I think, a pretty good year," said Woods, defending his record for the season despite failing to win a PGA major tournament. "I've done that a few times over the course of my career. I wish I would have been a little more consistent in some of the events, but overall, at the end of the day, to add to the win total for the year, it's always a good thing."
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