Jordan Spieth turns hypotheses into fact at the Tour Championship

Although Jason Day suggested that Jordan Spieth was player of the year, no matter what transpired in Atlanta, the Texan took care of business (and Henrik Stenson) the way he did all year: perfectly timed putts of distance that staked a sliver of wood into the heart of his closest pursuer. In the champion’s mind (and words) the difference-maker came on the 11th hole:

[quote_box_center]He hits it close on the next hole and I have a possible 3-putt. Could have very easily walked out of that hole tied for the lead. So to walk out two strokes up and to be able to kind of par in from there, that was definitely the key moment. I think 9 started to move that direction, 10 gave a little hope back, and 11 shut the door.[/quote_box_center]

By winning the Tour Championship and the FedExCup, Spieth made $11.48 million this week, and capped off the most fruitful year ever on the PGA Tour by winning $22 million in 2015. Um, whoa.

Related: See the clubs Spieth used to win the Tour Championship.

But now it’s on to 2015-16 and a basket of questions to answer: Can Jordan top this? Can Rickie and Rory rebound? Can Dustin figure “it” out? What’s the deal with Tiger? Stay tuned. Take a break for some football, but get ready for real come January.

Loupe laps field at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship

Andrew Loupe hankered to return to the PGA Tour. After experimenting with a driver-less bag during the first two Web.Com Tour Finals events, Loupe’s big stick reclaimed its place in his bag in Columbus. Averaging 319 measured yards off the tee over the four rounds, Loupe played well enough to overtake third-round leader Roberto Castro (+4 on Sunday) and win the $180,000 first prize and a place on the PGA Tour for the 2015-16 season. Loupe’s take on his attitude for the week was refreshing and unique:

I knew what I had on the line. Just kept telling myself to take it on this week. Embrace it and take it on, that was kind of our motto all week.

What made the victory better was its arrival on his father’s birthday. Loupe senior had successfully battled cancer a few years back and Loupe junior was well aware of who was at stake during that health scare:

He’s such a cool dude. He’s so genuine, loyal, kindhearted. He’s a caretaker. Introduced me to the game. He’s a man. You know what I mean? He’s a great dude, and I’m so glad that he was able to see this.

Esteban Toledo claims Nature Valley First Tee Open

The NVFTO on the Champions Tour was shaping up to be a battle of the 1970s (Tom Watson) versus the 2000s (Vijay Singh), but along came Esteban Toledo — a former boxer — who survived a 71st-hole bogey to edge Watson by one, securing his third Champions Tour victory.

Thongchai Jaidee

Photo credit: Twitter

The prince of Thailand would surely rather put the exclamation point after “Euro Tour victory number seven” than “oldest winner of European Open,” but Jaidee’s come-from-behind win over Graeme Storm is his first triumph of 2015 and positions him splendidly for the upcoming Final Series. Storm was at Jaidee’s heels until a 71st-hole bogey separated the two by the final margin.

Alexandre Rocha brings national title home

It seems that every other year, a Canadian golfer comes within an eyelash of winning his national title on the PGA Tour. Team Canada needs to hire Alexandre Rocha as a consultant. This weekend, Rocha gamely took on an entire field, then posted seven consecutive “4s” in a marathon playoff to win the Aberto do Brasil on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Rocha was flawless on Sunday, with four birdies against zero bogeys, first eliminating Kent Bulle on hole two of the extra session, then outlasting Keith Mitchell five holes later.