McIlroy hopes in the balance

Rory McIlroy's hopes of a £6million jackpot were in the balance on Sunday after American Brandt Snedeker followed him into a lake.

McIlroy had fallen from joint fourth to 12th when he covered the first seven holes during the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta in a desperately disappointing four over par just like Tiger Woods.

It put Snedeker in the driving seat, but he also found the water at the short sixth and double-bogeyed as well to be just a stroke ahead of compatriot Ryan Moore and England's Justin Rose.

If Snedeker wins the tournament he also takes the massive FedEx Cup bonus, but the pressure was mounting on him as he neared the turn.

Rose was joint leader overnight, but in much more blustery conditions he drove into the trees at the fifth and bogeyed the sixth as well after finding sand.

Luke Donald was still not out of things as far as the event was concerned, his level par for the first 11 holes lifting him from 11th to joint sixth four behind Snedeker, who then took another stride towards the lucrative double by holing from nearly 40 feet at the eighth to go two ahead.

By then Lee Westwood's week was already over, a 74 leaving him resigned to finishing last of the 30-strong field on 15 over.

The world number four still had something to smile about, however, after his final competitive round before the Ryder Cup begins on Friday in Chicago.

Westwood had a match bet with playing partner Nick Watney and beat him by getting up and down from a bunker on the last.

"There was enough on it to keep it interesting and hopefully a sign of things to come," he said, although Watney missed out on the American team despite winning the first of the four FedEx Cup final events.

"It's my first time in the play-offs and Bethpage was the only course I'd played before. My game is not far away."

Snedeker's advantage was back to only one ahead with seven to play after first Moore and then Rose birdied the short 11th, while McIlroy, out in 39, lifted himself back into eighth spot by holing from five feet at the 12th.

It looked to be between him and Snedeker for the £6million, Woods standing 11th with five to go.