I have written enough articles now as The Wayniac Nation’s golf guru, that I think it’s time that I join the party. I really liked the Morning Random Thoughts that The Wayniac started last week, so I thought it was my turn. Here are:

Dunton’s final thoughts on the 2015 golf season.

In the late 90s, early 2000s there was one name synonymous with golf. You know it, I don’t even have to write it. As the decade flipped to 2011 we began to wonder who would step up and be the next one. We saw some young guns come and go until Rory stormed to the top of the golf world. That storm was nothing compared to what 2015 has given us in Jordan.

If we are calling Rory a storm then Jordan’s rise was a category five hurricane. If 2015 is going to be remembered as anything it will be for Jordan Spieth’s complete and utter take over of the golf world. If you think about it this actually started back in 2013 when Jordan won the John Deere Classic in a playoff that gave him full PGA Tour Membership. He has not looked back since. What Jordan did this year is not short of phenomenal. Take a quick walk down memory lane of this past season:

Valspar Championship–Winner in Playoff

Valero Texas Open-2nd Place

Shell Houston Open-Tied for 2nd Place

Masters–Winner

Crowne Plaza Invitational-Tied for 2nd Place

The Memorial-Tied for 3rd Place

US Open–Winner

John Deere Classic–Winner in Playoff

British Open-Tied for  4th Place

PGA Championship-2nd Place

Tour Championship–Winner

Fedex Cup – Winner, winner chicken dinner.

All of these finishes are a career for many golfers. Two major wins, two top five finishes in the other two majors? There are many guys out there on the tour who have been at it for longer than Jordan has been alive that don’t have two major victories and two top five finishes.

He is now the youngest golfer to win five events in a season since who, you ask? You guessed it. Horton Smith in 1929. That’s right — not even Tiger won five events this young. This all adds up to Jordan taking home over $22 million in on the course earnings. That number is slightly less than the approximately $24 million Jack Nicklaus won throughout his ENTIRE career. Let that soak in for a minute. And with Jordan’s victory yesterday he has reclaimed the number one world golf ranking.

I think what impressed me most with Jordan this year is when he did it. The golf world has changed — it is full of young stars all talented and all wanting to be the next legend. Look at what golf has right now. Jason Day had an equally impressive year that many golfers would be equally as jealous of: top 5 finishes in two majors (US Open, Open Championship) and his first major victory at the PGA Championship.

That is nothing to sneeze at and coming into this past weekend many were still debating who would be the PGA Player of the Year. I am pretty confident this debate ended in Atlanta. Rory was injured for the better part of the year but I don’t think that would have mattered. Not this year. Not the year that Jordan permanently stamped his name on the golf world.

Moving forward I think golf fans are in for a real treat. Spieth, McIlroy, Day, Dustin Johnson, Stenson, and Rickie Fowler are just a few names that we will tune in and turn on to watch to see what these guys have in store for us. I for one can’t wait. Yeah, I know that technically the season starts October 15th at the Frys.com open but January is when I start noticing golf and it’s not until February that I’m starting to pay attention. And the reality is that it isn’t until April when the Masters tees off that the sports world is zoned in on golf.

So enjoy football season, soak in basketball season, revel in the madness that is college basketball and when that ends drive down Magnolia Lane to get ready to watch Jordan try to duplicate this season. Can he? I know I hope he does.

Until next season, folks,

Dunton