Jordan Spieth: FedEx Cup title race is an '˜odd scenario'

Jordan Spieth in action at last week's BMW Championship. Picture: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Any of the 30 players in the season-ending Tour Championship can theoretically win the massive pay day in Atlanta, but only the top five are assured of doing so by claiming the $1.53m (£1.1m) first prize at East Lake.

McIlroy, who has failed to qualify this season, was sixth in the standings 12 months ago and needed to win the Tour Championship and see FedEx Cup leader Dustin Johnson finish worse than outright second.

Johnson finished tied for sixth and could only look on as McIlroy defeated Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell in a play-off to become FedEx Cup champion, leaving Johnson to settle for “just” a $3m bonus.

“I think there’s a likelihood that I’ll be in that situation this year,” said Open champion Spieth, who leads US PGA winner Justin Thomas by 200 points in the reset standings, with Johnson, Marc Leishman and Rickie Fowler the other players in control of their own destiny.

“I don’t know who the Rory will be. It’s tough. It doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s like having a $7m bet on a fight that you’re not even taking part in. It’s like I would be really nervous, but at that point I’m already out of the tournament, so I could probably have a few beers to calm me down, I don’t know.

“I remember we were actually watching it [last year], we were on the plane with Phil [Mickelson] going to the Ryder Cup already while it was going on and I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Where is DJ right now?’

“Obviously he’s here, he’s sticking around. Is he by himself, is he surrounded with people, is he going to celebrate if Ryan wins?

“I imagine if somebody else made a putt for me to win a difference of seven million, I’ll probably celebrate accordingly with a scream or a fist pump or something. But it’s an odd scenario so I hope I can go out there and control it myself. That’s obviously the goal, but if not, it sounds kind of fun.”

Johnson was watching in the locker room as his fate was decided 12 months ago and admits he has never “rooted so hard” for another player to win a tournament.

However, the world No 1 insists the staggering amount of money on offer was not at the forefront of his mind.

“I mean obviously that’s a lot of money, but it’s not going to change my life or anything,” said the 33-year-old, who has won four times on the PGA Tour this season.

“For me it’s more about winning the Tour Championship and becoming the FedEx Cup champion than it is about the money.

“It would be up there with anything else I’ve done, for sure. It’s one thing I don’t have. I got my first major so I would like to be a FedEx Cup champion, too.”

Johnson has finished fifth, fifth and sixth on his last three starts at East Lake, while Spieth was second on his debut in 2013 and won in 2015 to also claim the FedEx Cup title.