After Jim Furyk was was safely in for the final clinching par, he snatched the ball out of the cup and made a sweeping fist pump, then faced the remnants of a hardy crowd huddled under their umbrellas and thrust both arms into the air. A couple of gutteral "Whoos" and several jubilant swipes at the damp air later, Furyk gathered his wife Tabitha into his arms.


The rare show of emotion from the champion, who also got choked up when he talked about his parents and his wife and two children during the trophy ceremony, showed just how much the dual victory meant to Furyk. THE TOUR Championship win was his third of the season -- a first -- and established him as the odds-on favorite for PGA TOUR Player of the Year.


Oh, and that silver Tiffany trophy he received for the season-long FedExCup competition also came with a $10 million bonus. That's enough to make anyone a little crazy -- even if Furyk, who beat Luke Donald by one, wasn't totally sure he'd accomplished the double dip until after he walked off the green.


"Tiger would have done that and no one would have thought anything about it," Furyk later said with a grin. "... But because it's me, and when I don't (smile), people go, 'God, it looks like he's not even having fun out there.' Trust me, I'm having a blast. But when I do (celebrate), it's funny, and I understand why. But I'm just happy. ...


Furyk handled everything that happened Sunday at East Lake with the same determination Charlie Batch shows when he tosses a touchdown pass. And during the nearly two-hour rain delay, Furyk got to watch the Steelers quarterback connect on two -- so he was primed when he headed back out for the final 10 holes with what he called an "eerie" calm.


Furyk was looking forward to a hot shower before he made a quick trip to the airport to join his U.S. teammates on a charter flight to Wales. He doesn't expect a letdown at the Ryder Cup, which he calls his "favorite" event. If anything, the fire should burn brighter after what has turned into a career-year for the 16-time PGA TOUR champ.