Golf: Another big pay day for Rotorua's Lee

Danny Lee tees off on the second hole in the final round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. AP Photo/John Amis

They played for millions at the golfing home of Bobby Jones, the most famous amateur in the game.

When Jordan Spieth dropped his last putt at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, he took the title, the US$10 million ($15.6 million) Fed X Cup bonus and the No1 world ranking after a turbulent six weeks as that honour switched between himself, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day. Most of the media attention was on the 22-year-old Spieth after his stellar year, when he banked a nifty US$22 million in earnings.

There were nods to others in the field such as Henrik Stenson, Day, Bubba Watson and Ricky Fowler.

Fowler made the pre-tournament headlines when he drew hearts on the carpark sign reserved for his girlfriend-seeking Kiwi buddy Danny Lee.

Lee, from Rotorua, responded by surrounding Fowler's car in safety cones, all orange in a nod to Fowler's favourite fashion choice.

It was about Lee's media lot at the Tour Championship, even after he sizzled home in second with a 65 to finish equal second, four behind Spieth.

Lee collected US$618,750 ((NZ$971,296) for his 69, 72, 69, 65 four round 275 total, which bumped his annual earnings to US$3,965,933.

He had seven birdies and two bogeys in his final round at East Lake, in an event where he had eight bogeys and one double in his four rounds.

Only 30 players contested the tournament in Atlanta, after three knockout events and a number of other culls.

Lee tied for second with former US Open winner Justin Rose and Stenson, who sank a 57ft birdie on the last.

World rankings released yesterday had Lee at 35th, after starting the year 202nd.

It has been a massive year for the 25-year-old Lee, who claimed his first PGA title in July then made his first cut in a major, where he tied for 43rd in the USPGA .

He played 36 tournaments and made 24 cuts this season with one victory, a second, two thirds and eight top 10s, with a scoring average of 70.39.

Lee may have more Kiwi company on next year's tour, after Tim Wilkins finished ninth and Steven Alker 16th in their latest work on the web.com Tour playoffs this week. NZME