Schauffele caps fiery season, tops tour championship
ATLANTA – Rookie Xander Schauffele outdid the big guns to win the Tour Championship on Sunday but Justin Thomas hit the jackpot by taking home the $10 million prize for claiming the FedEx Cup playoff title.
The 23-year-old Schauffele fired a two-under 68 in the fourth round to become the first rookie to win the Tour Championship as he beat Thomas by one shot at East Lake golf course.
Thomas put the finishing touches on his breakthrough season by closing with a 66 to claim the PGA Tour’s playoff title and the $10 million first place prize that goes with it.
“As a competitor you are mad that you didn’t win the tournament but then you realize what an unbelievable honor this is, the fact that you can win something over the entire course of the season,” said Thomas, who won five tournaments in 2017, including the PGA Championship.
“I played really well over the season and it is nice to finally play well in some playoff events and have it all pay off.”
The last time different players won the tournament and the FedEx Cup was in 2009, when Phil Mickelson took the Tour Championship and Tiger Woods won the Cup.
Jordan Spieth made a run at the FedEx Cup title but his three-under 67 left him in second place overall, 660 points back of Thomas in the standings.
“He has that belief now that he can make it happen,” Spieth said of Thomas. “The progression he has made this year into becoming a phenomenal closer has been a pleasure to watch.”
The Tour Championship is the last of four events of the FedEx Cup playoffs and the finale to the PGA Tour campaign for the 11th consecutive season.
Thomas’ playoff win brings to a close the year-long schedule that began last October in California.
Five players, including Thomas, controlled their own playoff destiny if they could capture the Tour Championship this week, but Schauffele came out of the shadows to make it interesting.