Jordan Spieth begins 2016 with dominant Hyundai Tournament of Champions win

By April, we may not remember too much about the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. But the statement made by Jordan Spieth in a clinical cruise to an 8-shot win this week on Maui was pretty clear. Last year was a historic run of success, but more is coming and this is his Tour.

The week started with hype, as almost all the big names showed up at Kapalua for this limited-field event, which invites only winners of PGA Tour events from the past 12 months. In the past, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson often skipped and some of the best Euros tend to start the year in the Middle East. This year, Spieth was here along with three others from the top six in the world -- Jason Day, Bubba Watson, and Rickie Fowler. Spieth’s contemporaries, these early 20s studs who are supposed to push him for the next two decades were also here -- Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Thomas, among others.

This opening event, however, was over by Friday night ... and almost all those aforementioned heavy hitters and world-class stars played really well this week. The Kapalua Plantation Course is not some U.S. Open test. Scoring records will be challenged and unless the wind is really blowing, there are birdie and even eagle opportunities on almost every hole. Spieth knew this and knew he had to go low each day. Even as he left the course with a 5-shot lead on Saturday night (a spot he’s now closed with a win on Sunday five straight times), he said he’d have to shoot low in the final round because he knew Reed and Koepka were coming. Koepka shot a 10-under 63 on Saturday but it did nothing. No gap was closed and Spieth’s lead on the field actually extended by a shot.

This was the one thing I noticed most this week: the frustration and resignation of world-class players posting great scores and still not putting a scare in the world No. 1 Spieth. The Tour ran ads all tournament with players praising Spieth. This event marketed him as the main draw. And after each round on Friday and Saturday, exasperated and envious Tour pros figuratively threw their hands up and didn’t really know what to say other than they weren’t playing Jordan Spieth golf.

The Tournament of Champions flies under the radar on a weekend that’s always dominated by football. And this win will not be the greatest on his resume. But it was a statement win against some incredible talent, many of whom seem vexed about Spieth running away with the tournament.

Reed, the 18-hole leader and defending champ, was the only player to make a move early in the final round, opening with two straight birdies and three birdies in his first five holes. His faint hope of a miracle chasedown was gone by the 10th green, where Spieth canned another 10-footer that got him to 27-under.

Spieth made just two bogeys all week and 30 birdies or better, a career record for him on the PGA Tour. Those birdie chances are out there but maybe his most critical skill is still somehow posting a number with his less-than-best stuff. He was incredible all week and set records, but there were still uneven stretches that threatened his spot atop the leaderboard. On Saturday, he said he was “slapping it around” for about a five-hole stretch and his lead got as low as one.

But no one holds on a leaderboard while “slapping it” better than Spieth. Golf Channel analyst Mark Rolfing narrated a series of “terrible” and “mediocre” shots by Spieth during that stretch, and yet what was waiting on the other end was an 8-under 65. Some guys hit it farther and have sexier ProTracer lasers off the tee, but no one limits his mistakes and holds on during shaky stretches better than Spieth. Maybe that was part of the exasperation from the other players this week.

I don’t know what, if anything, this dominant win to start the year means for the majors months down the schedule. Spieth, however, has separated himself from his contemporaries at these week-to-week Tour events, and they’re all showing up knowing he’s the one to beat.

Golf is in an incredible place right now and it will be hard for the sport and the PGA Tour to have a better year than 2015. Spieth, however, is already doing his part in 2016 and the rest of the Tour is probably worried about everything that’s coming.

Here are the full results and scores from the 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions: