McIlroy, winner of the FedExCup in 2016 and 2019, starts the week in seventh and six strokes behind world No 1 Scottie Scheffler; Watch the Tour Championship live on Thursday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Golf
Last Updated: 24/08/22 6:18pm
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Rory McIlroy would like players to be informed on the decision they are making before joining the LIV Golf Tour. The Northern Irishman also spoke glowingly about working alongside Tiger Woods for the benefit of the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy hasn’t given up hope of creating PGA Tour history as he looks to become the first three-time winner of the FedExCup at the Tour Championship.
McIlroy arrives at East Lake seventh in the FedExCup standings, having won the CJ Cup and defended his RBC Canadian Open title during an impressive a campaign that also saw him post top-eight finishes in all four majors.
The world No 4 will begin the season finale on four under and six shots behind leader Scottie Scheffler, due to the staggered scoring system in place based on FedExCup ranking, although McIlroy is still optimistic about contending for victory at a venue where he won in 2016 and 2019.
“I’ve had a lot of success at East Lake over the years,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday. “This is my ninth time at East Lake, and I’ve won a couple of them.
“I’ve had chances the majority of the times I’ve been here to win the FedExCup. Great to have another opportunity to try to do something that no one has ever done before in the short history of what the FedExCup is.
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“Excited to be back. I felt like I got my golf game together a little bit better in Wilmington [tied-eighth finish at the BMW Championship] last week and played okay. I need to make a few more putts this week to have a chance.”
Scheffler claimed a share of third at the BMW Championship last week to return top of the FedExCup standings, a position he held for the majority of the season after winning four times in six starts – including The Masters – earlier in the campaign.
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The world No 1 will begin on 10 under and with a two-shot advantage over closest challenger Patrick Cantlay, with some of the field as many as 10 strokes adrift, and Scheffler will be aiming to make the most of his lead as he chases a fifth PGA Tour victory and first FedExCup title.
“It’s definitely a bit different,” Scheffler said about the format. “I think what’s going to probably work best for me is to look at it like a four-day event – really ignore the starting strokes deal and kind of go out there and do my thing and see where it puts me at the end of four days.
Scottie Scheffler had never won a PGA Tour event before his impressive streak in early 2022
“The starting strokes deal is a little bit weird. There might be a tiny bit of added pressure but I get two extra strokes, which is definitely nice. It’s definitely a position that I want to be in, for sure.”
No player has ever won back-to-back editions of the FedExCup since its launch in 2007, with last week’s successful title defence at the BMW Championship bolstering Cantlay’s hopes of becoming the first golfer to do so.
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Highlights of the final round of last year’s Tour Championship, where Patrick Cantlay edged out Jon Rahm to win the FedExCup.
“I think at the end of your career you’ll look back and say I wish I would have won every FedExCup you had a chance to win because it’s a big tournament,” Cantlay said. “The fact that it’s a year-long race I think means a little bit more.
“Back-to-back doesn’t do anything more, but two is a lot better than just one. I would say definitely after all the close calls I’ve had this year, if I could close out this season on a two-win-in-a-row stretch, it would be amazing.”
Who will win the FedExCup? Watch the Tour Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Golf.