In a word, how does Rory McIlroy feel ahead of Tour Championship's $18m jackpot? Settled

This week at East Lake, McIlroy is vying for his record fourth FedEx Cup title and could become the first player to win back-to-back PGA Tour jackpots since the season-long points race and playoff system was introduced in 2007.

Ready: 'I've had some of my best putting weeks of my career at this golf course on these greens with that putter,' says Rory McIlroy.

SETTLED. That’s the word Rory McIlroy uses to describe how he feels entering the final PGA Tour event of the season with golf’s biggest prize – $18 million – at stake for the winner of the Tour Championship at East Lake and the FedEx Cup.

“I would say everything's just a little more balanced and a little more calm this year,” McIlroy said Wednesday in Atlanta on the eve of the tour playoff finale.