Masters Results 2015: Top Takeaways and Reaction to Final Standings

The 2015 Masters Tournament was one for the ages, won by the second-youngest champion ever in Jordan Spieth.

An 18-under-par total for the 21-year-old matched Tiger Woods' scoring record from 1997. Spieth polished off a phenomenal performance at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday with a 70, good enough for a four-stroke win over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Spieth's scorching form from his three prior events carried over. He had won the Valspar Championship and finished second in two subsequent starts before strolling up Magnolia Lane.

Most golfers Spieth's age would be happy just to be at Augusta. It was a business trip for him—a quest for a green jacket, a first major and a big step forward in such a young career that Spieth wasn't going to let go to waste.

Anything less than first would have been. GolfonCBS highlighted the heights Spieth reached:

Now Spieth has risen to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking behind only Rory McIlroy. Golf Channel's Justin Ray highlights the significance of this:

That's a huge takeaway from the Masters right there. McIlroy played exceptional golf in his own right, particularly over the last 45 holes, when he went 15 under par.

Imagine McIlroy had managed to play the first 27 holes in a mere three under. He'd have been right there, in with a real shot to win the career Grand Slam. It just wasn't to be, as Spieth was too tough for McIlroy or anyone else who went super low to challenge him.

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel nicely articulated another positive of having Spieth seize victory:

Few have fully embraced McIlroy as the game's next big thing, despite his huge accomplishments to date. McIlroy has had peaks and valleys, whereas Spieth has been consistent as can be of late, as golf personality Shane Bacon pointed out:

The lowest point of McIlroy's career came at the 2011 Masters, where he held a four-shot lead after 54 holes just as Spieth did this Sunday. McIlroy collapsed, but he ran away from the field at the U.S. Open that year.

Now the Masters is the only leg of the Grand Slam McIlroy hasn't achieved—just about all he has to do in what's already a Hall of Fame career. McIlroy watched someone younger than him take center stage, and he weighed in on it afterward, per Golf.com:

Although Hideki Matsuyama shouldn't be overlooked at 23 years of age after placing solo fifth, golf's young guns weren't the only story to emerge from Augusta.

A number of veterans still seeking their first major couldn't quite get the job done. Ian Poulter has been a Ryder Cup stalwart and should be looked at as a legitimate U.S. Open contender if his current form holds. He led the field in hitting 82 percent of greens in regulation.

You can bet the ever confident Poulter knows his game is on point, needing just a twinge of that flat-iron magic he seems to find in the Ryder Cup to take his stature in the sport to the next level. Poulter shared his personal assessment of his golf game via Twitter:

Dustin Johnson put up a whopping three eagles in the second round, yet he made too many blunders along the way to truly threaten Spieth. There's no reason Johnson can't be a multiple-major champion before his career is over, provided he stays committed to his craft.

Speaking of which, Rose could have added another major to back up his triumph at the 2013 U.S. Open, if not for Spieth's legendary outing. This Masters rectified Rose's slow start to the season; it should be momentous for the rest of the year.

The reality is that golf is stacked with depth at the moment. It's part of the reason Woods has struggled to get back into contention in the most important tournaments, though his tie for 17th was a positive sign, considering his long game came and went.

Woods' revamped chipping was put to the ultimate test on Augusta's greens, and he was brilliant.

Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel drops a hint as to when one could expect to see Woods competing again:

It certainly looks like Woods could have a couple of more major titles left in him if he manages to stay healthy, which seems easier said than done for him these days. Hopefully, the wrist injury Woods suffered on his second shot at the par-four ninth won't sideline him for too long.

And let's not forget that Mickelson can use this second consecutive runner-up finish as a springboard and extra motivation for his own bid at the career Grand Slam in June's U.S. Open.

A ton of attention will deservedly go to Spieth for his historic Masters romp, but Augusta brought forth so many subtle, scintillating subplots. Those should make for a magnificent stretch of golf from the majors all the way to the FedEx Cup.