Winning the FedEx Cup Playoffs last season was very important to Jordan Spieth. The $10 million was nice, but he noted on Tuesday that it was about more than that for him.

"Other players may not feel the same way, but the way I felt before last year and still feel now is that's going to be one of the most coveted trophies for many years to come," said Spieth. "It's great. It's cool. I have mine at the house. It's right there next to U.S. Open replica, Masters replica. I think it's extremely important. You won the season-long race that year, and obviously, there's a significant bonus that comes with it, which is a life-changing type of experience. It's that meaningful to me overall."

So we know that much. We know Spieth thinks the FedEx Cup is important. And it is. How could it not be? There are 125 golfers playing four playoff events to sort out $35 million. That's a huge deal. But it's not as big of a deal as a different tournament coming up next week -- to Spieth, anyway.

"I would say [I would rather win the] Ryder Cup [than the FedEx Cup]," said Spieth. "I don't have a Ryder Cup. I think I will have a Ryder Cup at some point ... If you're saying 2016, right now, I've got a choice, Ryder Cup. You want something that you don't have. That's a trophy that I've watched the other side of it now, and it hurt. It was tough at the closing ceremony [in 2014] ...

"We had a good time that evening, but when we boarded the plane back home, it was an empty feeling. We don't want that again. We remember that, those of us that were there, and the guys that were there in Medinah, we want that celebration. We want that champagne falling off the balcony like they had wherever, in Valhalla."

There was plenty of champagne at Valhalla in 2008, which is the last time the United States won the Ryder Cup trophy. You can see that at the 3:10 mark below.


"I think I'm pretty confident about how we're going to go about our business," added Spieth, who traveled to Hazeltine on Monday to play a practice round with his squad. "I think we've got a fantastic team this year, one of the best teams I can remember looking back at, and I love being a part of that."

So much so that he would give up a second straight FedEx Cup and $10 million to pop a few bottles of champagne. This is why the Ryder Cup rocks.