You may have heard or read elsewhere that Camilo Villegas outlasted Sergio Garcia to win the final tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs — The TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

That is what happened. But from my humble perch the real winner this weekend was golf itself by possibly putting to rest rumors of the PGA Tour’s demise — rumors that gained momentum last week — but now look to have been very premature. 

Many golf writers and lovers of the game, myself included, observed that a season without the best player was limping toward the finish line with the winner of its playoff, Vijay Singh, already determined.

All of this was before an incredibly engaging U.S. victory in the Ryder Cup and then this weekend’s young-guns shootout at East Lake, won by the charismatic Villegas for his second-straight Tour victory. 

While it’s not quite time to say "Tiger Who?" the golf and the story lines were so compelling that the case may be closed that golf is indeed in fine shape. Battling it out on the final day in the final two groups were three of golf’s most popular and talented 20-somethings: Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim and Villegas. The fourth was the elder statesman, a guy by the name of Mickelson. With or without Woods, the three younger ones are among the Tour’s hottest commodities (please excuse the Wall Street reference).

Better yet, their play was so scintillating, each of the four held a share of the lead over the back nine on Sunday. Adding a further dose of drama was the playoff finish, which will go down as the richest in history. Villegas not only captured the $1.2 million first-place check but also clinched second place in the FedEx Cup race for another $3 million windfall.

But even with that much money on the line, for Villegas his second straight Tour victory is surely what tasted sweetest. It validated his arrival as one of the best players in the game and sets the stage for competitive rivalries for years to come with Kim and Garcia, all of whom are said to be friends.