5 best moments from the 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs
After five weeks and four playoff tournaments, Justin Thomas won the FedEx Cup title and the $10-million bonus Sunday in Atlanta, Ga.
Here are the five best moments from a memorable 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs:
Sunday Showdown on Long Island
Jordan Spieth looked poised to win his fourth PGA Tour event of the 2017 season at The Northern Trust. Spieth began the final round with a three-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, and then extended it to five with just 13 holes remaining. However, after DJ birdied the par-4 10th, Spieth's lead had vanished. The two would go back-and-forth over the remaining eight holes, with the Texan grabbing a one-shot advantage with one hole to go. At the last, Johnson needed to drain a 17-foot par attempt to force extra holes, and that's exactly what he did by the narrowest of margins.
Johnson's tee shot in Northern Trust playoff
After going toe-to-toe for 18 holes, Johnson provided the knockout punch with one swing - which was also a jaw-dropping moment. While Spieth split the fairway with his drive, the 33-year-old Johnson took an unthinkable line, bombing it 341-yards over a pond. Johnson then dropped a 95-yard wedge shot in tight for a tap-in birdie and the victory, while Spieth could only look on in disbelief.
JT outlasts Spieth in Boston
"I can go out and start firing at things," Jordan Spieth told Steve Sands of the Golf Channel after the third round at TPC Boston. Spieth was a man of his word, flying out of the gate, going birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie to tie Thomas early in the final round. The Texan trimmed another stroke at No. 7 and made the turn in 30. The reigning PGA champion stayed calm though, and pulled away from Spieth down the stretch, with a pair of birdies in the final six holes to win. Thomas' final-round 66 beat Spieth by three shots and gave him his fifth title of the season.
Leishman goes wire-to-wire
The Aussie climbed to the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the BMW Championship, and never looked back. Leishman carded rounds of 62-64-68-67 at Conway Farms Golf Club to set the 72-hole tournament scoring record of 261, breaking the old mark of 262 held by Tiger Woods and Jason Day. The impressive performance moved Leishman into the top 5 of the FedEx Cup standings, while ascending to a career-best 15th in the Official World Rankings.
The rookie comes through at East Lake
It was only a few months ago that Xander Schauffele was grinding to retain his PGA Tour card for the 2017-18 campaign. The 23-year-old went on a tear over the last three months of the season though, picking up his first career win at The Greenbrier, then sneaking into the top 30 by one shot at the BMW Championship. Schauffele erased a two-shot deficit Sunday at East Lake, becoming the first rookie to win the Tour Championship, thanks to a birdie at the 72nd hole. The victory almost certainly secures the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award for Schauffele.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)