Rory McIlroy relishing ‘great opportunity' to lift FedEx Cup from level start
Masters champion McIlroy is second in the FedEx rankings behind defending champion Scottie Scheffler, but will not start with a two-shot deficit as the unpopular starting-strokes format has been scrapped this year.
Every player will start equal at East Lake in Atlanta on Thursday, meaning the Tour Championship winner will also be crowned FedEx champion and will pocket the £7.4million on offer.
McIlroy said: 'Any time you make it back to East Lake you've had a good year and it's always nice to come back.
'We've played this event and this golf course in a bunch of different formats.
'It has a different feel, any one of the 30 has a chance to win the FedEx Cup this year, which is obviously a lot different than it's been in previous years.
'It's a clean slate for everyone and it's a great opportunity for one of the guys who maybe wasn't a huge part of the season to put their hand up and have a chance to win the big prize at the end of the year.
'It's also an opportunity for some of the guys who have had great years to rubberstamp the season a little bit and end of a positive note. There's still a lot to play for this week.'
Tommy Fleetwood, up to fifth in the FedEx Cup rankings after back-to-back tied-third and tied-fourth finishes, said he was excited that this year's new format gives everyone an equal chance.
He said: 'I'm sure everybody aside from Scottie Scheffler will love the fact we're all starting on a level playing field. You win this week and you're holding two trophies.'
Fleetwood, who has had seven top-10 finishes this season, is still chasing his first PGA Tour win after coming close at the FedEx St Jude Championship before his tied-fourth finish on Sunday at the BMW Championship.
He added: 'I'll finish it off at some point. I'll get it right and I'll get it right more than once.
'Best-case scenario, coming down the stretch at East Lake with a chance to win. Whether I get it right or not, whether someone plays better or not, I'll talk about that after.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
19 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tennis player Sachia Vickery says she's ‘open-minded' about having OnlyFans account
Pro tennis player Sachia Vickery is gaining attention for her OnlyFans career while competing in the U.S. Open 2025 qualifiers. Vickery described OnlyFans as 'the easiest money I've ever made' and expressed newfound respect for other creators on the platform. Her representative clarified that her OnlyFans content is suggestive rather than explicit, containing no full nudity or sexual acts, and is not considered 'sex work.' Vickery pursued OnlyFans during a six-month injury layoff, emphasizing that it did not halt her tennis career. She also introduced a new dating policy requiring a $1,000 pre-date deposit, citing 'male behavior,' and shared proof of receiving such a payment. Tennis star Sachia Vickery defends having OnlyFans account: 'Easiest money I've ever made'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
MacIntyre bounces back from BMW collapse to take giant step towards $10m bounty in Atlanta... but Scheffler is lurking with intent again
Bob MacIntyre put last week's crushing disappointment behind him in fine style as he got off to a blistering start in the hunt for a $10million payday at the FedEx Cup finale in Atlanta. The Scot endured a final-round collapse at the BMW Championship in Maryland last Sunday as he lost his duel with world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and later claimed he wanted to 'smash up my golf clubs' after letting a four-shot lead slip. But the Oban left-hander showed little sign of a hangover in yesterday's first round at the $40m Tour Championship — where the winner will walk away with that record eight-figure winner's cheque — as he carded an impressive 64 to put himself right in contention. MacIntyre wasted little time in getting back in the groove, a beautiful approach shot on the par-four first hole setting up a 4ft birdie opportunity that he drained to settle any nerves. The 29-year-old picked up two more shots at the sixth and eighth holes before catching fire at par-three 11th, an inch-perfect tee shot setting him up for the first of three consecutive birdies. A dropped shot on the 16th preceeded a par on 17 and a fantastic birdie on the par-five final hole after he narrowly missed out on an eagle with a 50ft chip on to the green. The Scot's six-under round put him three shots off the early lead set by American Russell Henley, who carded a sensational bogey-free 61. Scheffler sits ominously two shots behind after opening with his own blemish-free round in defence of his crown. Alongside MacIntyre in a share of third was two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, 2021 FedEx Cup winner Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, the 2017 FedEx champion, and England Tommy Fleetwood, who would surely love to break his PGA Tour duck here with such a mammoth top prize on offer. Rory McIlroy opened with a 66 for a share of eighth place after a pair of back-nine bogeys marred an otherwise positive round. Meanwhile, home favourite Matt Fitzpatrick sat one shot off the lead after the first round of the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry. The Englishman carded seven birdies and two bogeys to sign for an opening 67, one behind a quartet of players out in front on six under par. The 30-year-old former US Open champions, who claimed the first of his nine DP World Tour titles at this event in 2015, can no longer qualify automatically for next month's Ryder Cup but will be hoping to show European captain Luke Donald that he deserves to be one of his picks. After getting his week off to a strong start, Fitzpatrick told the DP World Tour website: 'This week is another opportunity to play well. That is why I am here. 'To get off to a good start is always nice and hopefully I'll kick on. 'It means the world to be a part of it. Outside of winning a major, it is normally the first thing on a goal sheet at the start of a Ryder Cup year. 'We have got a great opportunity to do something we have not done in a while and obviously to be a part of that would be special.' Marcel Siem, Matthias Schwab, Thomas Aiken and Haotong Li shared the lead after firing opening 66s in Sutton Coldfield.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
McIlroy provides thrills but Henley leads Tour Championship after 61
More Rory McIlroy drama in Georgia. Events at the final hole of the opening round of the Tour Championship barely compared with what played out at Augusta National in April but these were still moments of McIlroy box office. No wonder he stood laughing with arm aloft. McIlroy found himself in a greenside bunker in two at the par-five 18th. He caught his attempt from the sand trap far too cleanly, the ball flying over the flag and rebounding from a grandstand. The bounce was favourable; McIlroy had 17ft left for a birdie. The putt found the bottom of the cup, much to the amusement of McIlroy and his playing partner Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy's 66 at East Lake leaves him five shy of the first-round lead after Russell Henley's stunning 61. This was a fine day for Keegan Bradley, were he not in the midst of the toughest choice of his professional career. Henley will play under Bradley for the United States in the Ryder Cup next month. Scheffler continued his excellent form with a 63, including a back half of just 31. The 64s of Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas were notable with that trio likely to receive captain's picks from Bradley. The key dilemma surrounds whether Bradley is also going to select himself, thereby becoming the first playing captain in a Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Bradley's 70 here hardly added to the conversation. The 39-year-old did not hang around for media duties. Significant in this debate is what Bradley's peers will tell him to do. The mood music suggests they want Bradley on this team. 'Yeah, I would,' said Thomas when asked whether he would pick Bradley. 'It is a lot [to handle both jobs]. I think Keegan would say the same. I don't think he would say it's easy by any means. But myself, whatever other [vice-]captains, automatic qualifiers have all the faith in the world that whatever he decides to do is going to be in the best interest of the team.' Morikawa outlined the trickiness of the scenario: 'I think he's got one of the most difficult decisions anyone has ever had to make. He has put more hours than we could even ask and know about into this Ryder Cup and he still has played great golf. He is one of the best Americans as of right now. But I truly do not know where his head sits and I don't want to be in that position. 'If you lose, every reason is going to come up. At the end of the day, we lost in Rome because we played bad golf and they played great golf. That's what it comes down to.' There are European colours on the leaderboard. On what was a benign Atlanta day, with preferred lies allowed, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre joined the 64 club. Ludvig Åberg signed for a 66. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'I think the course was as forgiving as we're going to get it,' Fleetwood said. 'But actually probably the biggest takeaway is how good everyone is at golf that's here. I think the scoring is unbelievable. I'm sure we could talk about the fact that we had soft conditions and they were receptive but you've still got to play and you've still got to hit the shots.' It was announced on the eve of this tournament that Cantlay would be among players on a new committee aimed at reshaping the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods will chair the group. 'Tiger asked me to be on the committee, so I said yes,' said Cantlay when asked his reasoning for being involved. With insight like this, what could go wrong.
