Lucky McIlroy may have it in his pocket

Rory McIlroy admitted he owed one spectator more than just a handshake for aiding his bid for an extremely lucrative victory in the Tour Championship in Atlanta yesterday.

The world number one carded a superb 65 at East Lake – the lowest score of the week so far – to finish six under par, two shots behind halfway leader Billy Horschel, winner of the BMW Championship last week.

Along with Horschel, Chris Kirk, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan, McIlroy knows victory tomorrow would also secure the overall FedEx Cup title – and with it a bonus of £6m. And with Mahan languishing 14 shots off the lead and Watson eight adrift, the battle for the richest prize in golf looks to be down to three players, with Horschel carding a second consecutive 66 and Kirk alongside McIlroy and Australian Jason Day following a 68. McIlroy insists the title means more to him than the money, the 25-year-old keen to end a brilliant season on a high note after four victories, including two major titles in the Open and US PGA Championship.