Rory McIlroy delivers early boost to Europe

Did Rory McIlroy kick-start the Ryder Cup five days early? 

It certainly felt that way to his European team-mates who watched the Irishman defeat American Ryan Moore on the fourth hole of a sudden death play-off to scoop an €11.5 million (€10.2m) Tour Championship and FedEx Cup double in Atlanta on Sunday night.

The undisguised delight of Darren Clarke and the European travelling party gathered together on the eve of their departure for Minneapolis was such that you might have mistakenly thought a point on the board was being celebrated, rather than the world number four netting the biggest individual payday of his career.