Dell Technologies Championship Recap: Thomas Bests Spieth

For the second straight tournament, Jordan Spieth lost a final-round lead. We were considering writing "For the second straight tournament, Jordan Spieth remarkably lost a final-round lead." But unlike a couple of weeks ago, when Spieth blew it as much as Dustin Johnson won it, the Monday finish at the Dell Technologies Championship was different: Justin Thomas was just too good.

Saying that "Justin Thomas was just too good" is a sentence that has been writing itself a lot lately. Thomas won for the second time in a month and fifth time in what is, yes, a remarkable season. With just two tournaments left in the FedEx Cup playoffs, Thomas is assured of winning the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award (unless Spieth somehow wins those two tournaments, which then would be so much more than remarkable).

Spieth started his Labor Day round at TPC Boston with 3-3-2-3. That's birdie-eagle- birdie-birdie. Thomas mustered only one birdie in the first three holes. But he followed with an eagle of his own on the drivable par-4 fourth, draining a 32-footer that fell into the cup with all the figurative force of a bowling ball, the way it shifted the two golfers' fortunes.

Yes, Spieth was still in the mix, as was Marc Leishman, who even managed to grab the lead for a bit, but anyone who has watched Thomas this season, and especially since he won his first major last month, could see what was happening.

Thomas went on to complete a three-stroke win with a 5-under 66, which even included a bogey, only his second of the week, but also included so many great wedges and putts.

"I really could have gone 72 holes without a bogey this week," Thomas told reporters, according to the Boston Globe. "I guess you could say that's a testimony to where my game is and the control that I have. I just feel my short game is giving me the opportunity to do that when that probably wouldn't have been the case two years ago."

Thomas, 24, who hits the ball as far as anyone on Tour despite weighing maybe 145 pounds, now has a short game to match. His only real "flaw" is his waywardness off the tee. But he's been getting better there, and when you hit the ball so far, inaccuracy doesn't hurt as much.

He's now up to a career-best No. 4 in the world, but you could argue that Thomas is No. 1.

MONDAY BACKSPIN

Phil Mickelson

What Mickelson pulled off this week was every bit as amazing as one of his patented disaster-saving up-and-downs. The captain's picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup will be announced on Wednesday, and a running story in golf for the past couple of months has been: Will Steve Stricker pick Mickelson? Mickelson was far back from automatically qualifying, and he had been playing pretty poorly. But at the last possible moment, Mickelson found something, vaulting into a four-way tie for sixth at TPC Boston. It was his first top-10 in three months, and who knows where that came from? But we're here to talk fantasy golf. What does this bode for Mickelson in two weeks at the BMW? He'll need a big week just to qualify for the Tour Championship, and at a course where he doesn't play especially well. Can he pull off another miracle save? We won't bet on it, figuratively or literally.

Marc Leishman

Leishman had a two-stroke lead at the turn on Monday, but as mentioned above, he seemed to be merely a placeholder atop the leaderboard. That said, the Aussie is an outstanding golfer, now up to a career-best No. 23 in the world. His solo third was his fifth top-10 in six months. In his lone appearance at Conway Farms, site of the BMW Championship in two weeks, Leishman has a T39. But he had never done well at TPC Boston before last week. He's simply a better golfer now.

Jon Rahm

Rahm had the lead halfway through before fading into a tie for fourth, if tying for fourth in a tournament can be called "fading." That gives him top-fives in the first two playoff events, befitting the No. 5 golfer in the world. It wouldn't be a complete surprise if Rahm did the same the next two tournaments. But he does seem to be lacking what's needed to finish things off (yes, we know he's won tournaments). We have to remember that Rahm is only in his first full year on Tour. He will get better.

Patrick Reed

Reed was one of three golfers who made the jump into the top-30 in the FedEx Cup standings, his tie for sixth moving him to 22nd in points and secure for his entry to the Tour Championship. After a terrible season, Reed has found something since his runner-up to Thomas at the PGA Championship. He's never had a top-25 at Conway Farms, but that doesn't preclude another top finish there. The other two golfers to climb into East Lake territory were Gary Woodland, now 29th in points, and Bill Haas, now 30th. Unlike Reed, their positions are not solid, and they will need good showings at the BMW to continue their seasons. Each has a top-20 in the past at Conway Farms, so it's entirely possible.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia notably broke his putter on Sunday and had to finish his third round using his 3-wood on the greens. He shot 75. While he closed with a 67, his tie for 35th on the week cost him a spot in the top-30. Garcia sits at 34th heading to Conway Farms, where he notched a top-20 in 2013. It's not a stretch to envision Garcia, as long as he continues to play with a full complement of clubs, reaching the Tour Championship. We don't feel similarly for the other two to fall from the top-30: Xander Schauffele and Charles Howell III.

Stewart Cink

More pressing than getting inside the top-30 was getting inside the top-70 to keep playing. Cink continued his remarkable bounce-back season to lead three golfers who made the leap. Cink tied for 12th to move from 81st to 57th in points. While his run likely will end in Chicago, even with a great finish there, Cink has proven to be a valuable fantasy component this season. And he may be again for a final time in two weeks. Rafa Cabrera Bello and Emiliano Grillo also surged into the top-70 at the last possible minute. At the start of the season, nothing short of that was expected from them; it's been a disappointing year on the PGA Tour for each of them.

Russell Knox

When three golfers climb into the top-70, three fall out, none more disappointing that Knox. The Scotsman tied for 61st at TPC Boston, ending a season that saw him plummet from No. 18 in the world rankings to his current standing of 51st. The other two guys to miss out on the BMW, Brandt Snedeker and Kelly Kraft, are both injured.

Adam Scott and Branden Grace

Both of these guys began the week outside the top-70 and neither could get inside. Both began the year inside the top-20 in the OWGR – Scott was inside the top-10 – yet had off-years. That bears consideration when planning for next season.

RotoWire Value Picks

Last week: Didn't pick
This week: Runner-up (Spieth), three top-10s, seven top-25s, two missed cuts.

For a week in which 79 of the 96 golfers made the cut, having two of 16 miss the cut is about the limit of acceptability. Those were Adam Scott in Tier 3 and Chad Campbell in the long shots. We had Spieth in Tier 1, which is hardly something for which to pat ourselves on the back. The other three were so-so- top-25s: Dustin Johnson at T18, Hideki Matsuyama at T23 and Jason Day at T25. In Tier 2, much better: Paul Casey tied for fourth and Patrick Reed for sixth, while Louis Oosthuizen tied for 30th and Kevin Chappell for 35th. Besides Scott in Tier 3, Patrick Cantlay was the best of the bunch at T13, with Charley Hoffman at T47 and Webb Simpson at T75. Rounding out the long shots, Harold Varner III and Chris Kirk were T47, and Jhonattan Vegas was T65.