Rory McIlroy will show why he is at the top of the golf rankings with a win in Atlanta, says Rob Lee

The FedEx Cup is in its final week and I’m looking forward to it because the Cup is known for throwing up some compelling finishes in the closing rounds of play.

It’s taken a while for it to gain traction in the golfing world because the qualification process is quite lengthy but there is a big purse on offer and there are only 29 players playing, so all you need is one good week and you could be $11 million richer.

Technically anyone in this field can win the prize money but the lower down you are the more you’re relying on how the guys above you in the rankings play.

In the 2011 edition of the Cup, Bill Haas was ranked No. 25 going into the Tour Championship and managed to tie the lead on the 18th hole on the final day. In the subsequent playoff against Hunter Mahan, he splashed out of the water on the second playoff hole to save par and went on to win the tournament and in doing so he edged the FedEx Cup.

Jim Furyk won in 2010 from outside the Top 10 so it is far from impossible to do. In fact, historically the winner hasn’t necessarily come from that Top 5. But on this occasion I think he will.

Regardless of what happens in the Tour Championship, Rory is the best golfer of the year with the way he’s played so consistently from all corners of the globe.

Rory McIlroy looks to be in superb form and deserving of his place at the top of the golf rankings and earnings. Regardless of what happens in the Tour Championship, Rory is the best golfer of the year with the way he’s played so consistently from all corners of the globe.

With that said, he had two four-putts last week, which is quite disappointing for someone with his high standards. Had he sunk one and two-putted the other he’d have been right up there, so he will look to address that going in to this week’s finale.

But I’m confident he will iron out any issues and he certainly is my favourite to shake that off and to win it this week.

Emphasis

The Ryder Cup starts in two weeks’ time, but I think for most of the guys in the FedEx Cup Finale ,The Tour Championship, you’re only thinking about this particular tournament  – the Ryder Cup is not on your mind.

There were supposed to be 30 players but Dustin Johnson has withdrawn himself from golf for personal reasons for the time being.

People will have their theories as to why he’s decided to take a step back from the game but regardless of the reason, he will be sorely missed by USA in the upcoming Ryder Cup.

I can’t help but feel that Johnson’s withdrawal will have an impact on Team USA, so from their point of view the reason for this sabbatical had certainly better be a good one.

Johnson aside, I do find it interesting how certain players place emphasis on different tournaments over others. Sergio Garcia took a week off from the FedEx Cup to ensure that he will be as fresh as possible for the Ryder Cup – players have different priorities.

Other players have done the same and it could end up working in their favour. Though the priority for the 29 will be on this tournament, all those who will be involved in the Ryder Cup will no doubt be keen to make sure they’re hitting their best form and are fresh when USA meets Europe at Gleneagles.

Fatigue

When you speak to players the subject of scheduling always seems to pop up.

There has been talk of player fatigue with the compressed nature of the FedEx Cup this year.

Quite often they have a week-break built into the tournament, making the Cup five weeks long, but with the Ryder Cup being played later in the month there just isn’t enough time to fit it all in.

The fact is that players have a choice in terms of which tournaments they want to play. You’re not prevented from playing the Tour Championship just because you missed one, so you can’t complain about fatigue when you have chosen to squeeze it all in.

You get to a point where you’re playing quite a lot of golf if you don’t manage your own schedule properly.

If you want to play all four of the tournaments within the Cup and there are no breaks in between then you’ll need to figure it out a workable solution for yourself. That might be a case of taking a week off before it all kicks off, or finding time somewhere else in the year.

Live PGA Tour Golf

Really it all depends on who you are and what you’re trying to achieve - the perfect schedule does not exist so you need to act accordingly. Fatigue will only be an issue if you’ve made it an issue for yourself as a play by committing to too much golf . Funnily enough though, when the wheelbarrow events turn up after the Final Series and its time to pocket some easy cash , the talk of fatigue seems to disappear. How remarkable!!

Rob's Sky Bet Tips

As mentioned I’ve got Rory McIlroy to win this week. There was the slight hiccup with regards to consecutively four-putting the same hole last week, but with the form he’s in I can’t see past him.

Nicolas Colsaerts is my pick to take the KLM Open being held in Holland.