Rory McIlroy wants 'positive signs' trend to continue ahead of this week's Tour Championship

After finishing third from bottom at the St Jude Championship in his penultimate outing, the world number two then looked more like himself last week at the BMW Championship, where a late fightback came undone as he had to settle for third place.

But he is now ready for the season-ending Tour Championship, a competition he has fond memories of after claiming success three times in 2016. 2019 and 2022.

"I think anytime you make it to East Lake, you've had a pretty good year," said McIlroy, as only the top 30 players in the standings are eligible to compete for the FedExCup this week.

"It's a tournament that I've had quite a lot of success in over the years.

"Maybe not quite as much since the course underwent its renovation a couple years ago, but hopefully I'll try to change that this week.

"It's always good to be back, and it's been a happy hunting ground for me.

"Obviously there were some positive signs in my game last week, so I'm trying to continue that trend."

Meanwhile, McIlroy has welcomed the PGA Tour’s decision to introduce match play to the Tour Championship, saying the change could provide a more exciting finish to the season.

The new structure will begin in 2028 and will see the season end with a two-week match play event staged at ⁠different venues.

PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp announced the plans on Tuesday ahead of this week’s Tour Championship.

“I think the PGA Tour and the Future Competition Committee and Brian and everyone involved have really taken on board what the fans have been calling for and have wanted, which is match play,” McIlroy told a press conference.

“Brian took me through the plan last week for the first time. I didn’t really know anything about it.

“It’s certainly different. But it’s cool. I think they’ve taken a big swing, and conceptually, I think I really like it.”