Rory McIlroy is in the driving seat for a $10 million end of season bonus in golf’s FedEx series.
The Ulsterman is four shots off the lead held by Jim Furyk at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
But McIlroy remains at the top of the FedEx table as Tiger Woods falters in his bid for the jackpot.
World number one McIlroy is seventh going into the third round of the Tour Championship.
But that would be good enough, as things stand, to pick up that $10million bonanza on Sunday evening.
Only Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker and Nick Watney can deny the Irishman.
Woods fell from joint first to 12th on Friday after an error-ridden 73 while Snedeker is 10th, Mickelson 16th and Watney last of the 30 players.
McIlroy said: “I’m happy with the position I’m in. First and foremost I just have to try to think of my standing in this golf tournament, not really about anything else.
“If it comes down to it where I need to really know what I have to do for the last few holes, if I have a decision to make between protecting my lead in the FedEx Cup or trying to win the tournament, I think I know what I’m going to choose.
“But we just have to play until we reach that point and at the minute, I’m just concentrating on trying to play as well as I can.
“I was sort of in a similar position in ‘09 battling Lee Westwood for the European Tour money list title.
“I went in with not much of a lead, but he ended up winning the tournament, I finished third and he won.
“Here there is a little more to play for, but it’s been great. It’s just nice to be a part of those five guys that sort of control their own destiny.”
McIlroy announced this week that he is selling his multi-million pound home outside Belfast with many commentators speculating he will now move to America full-time.
He added: “I’m only spending about two weeks a year back home, so from a financial point of view it didn’t make sense to keep it.
“I’m travelling all over the world, I don’t have a full-time base over here in America and don’t think I will for a while.
“Hopefully when I go home Mum and Dad will have a room for me!”
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