Spieth polishes off eight-shot win at Hyundai Tournament of Champions
If you were wondering how Jordan Spieth would follow on his incredible 2015, these last four days were a clear indication that he hasn’t yet found his ceiling.
Spieth picked up his seventh PGA Tour win on Sunday, turning a five-shot 54-hole edge at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions into an eight-shot dominating victory over defending champion Patrick Reed.
The final-round 6-under 67 at Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course on Maui gave Spieth a 30-under total for the 72-hole event, becoming just the second player in PGA Tour history to finish a four-round event that low. Only Ernie Els, at this tournament on this course in 2003, has gone deeper, shooting 31 under par to win this winners-only event. Only David Duval has won on this course by a larger margin, taking the first Tournament of Champions at Kapalua by nine shots in 1999.
Spieth made just two bogeys on the week, both coming on the par-3 eighth in the third and final rounds. For the week, he played the four par 5s on the course in 16 under par.
Brooks Koepka, who was Spieth’s closest pursuer and playing partner on Sunday, finished tied for third at 21 under par along with Brandt Snedeker.
Rickie Fowler rounded out the top five of the 32-player event alone in fifth at 20 under par.
For Spieth, he suddenly finds himself in the company of Tiger Woods, becoming just the second player in the history of the modern PGA Tour (since 1960) to win seven times before turning 23. Spieth’s birthday isn’t until July.
Spieth will take off two weeks before heading over to the United Arab Emirates to compete in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the true start to the 2016 European Tour schedule.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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