Rory McIlroy missed out on the $10 million FedEx Cup first prize when Brandt Snedeker ran away with the Tour Championship on Sunday, but he didn't leave Atlanta empty-handed.

Rory's second prize check amounted to $3 million. And, according to Golf Channel's Jason Sobel, the World No. 1 seems pretty O.K. with that.

“It's just the nature of the playoffs,” McIlroy said on Sunday. “You know, I had the same chance as Brandt coming into this week, and I needed to win, and I didn't. I knew what I needed to do…That's just the way it is. I'm not going to complain. It's been a great year.”

Indeed. McIlroy has banked quite a few big checks this year, and swiped quite a few of the big trophies. Plus, he has some assets for sale if he needs to keep food on the table, and he seems to be in a comfortable double-income relationship with his tennis star girlfriend. So, the $7 million he missed out on? Well, it won't relegate McIlroy to some Chicagoland Motel 6 for next week's Ryder Cup.

Brandt Snedeker collected $11.44 million on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta when he won both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

Snedeker shot two-under 68 to finish 10 under and hold off a star-studded field in Atlanta. The tournament earned Snedeker $1.44 million and gave him the FedEx Cup points title, worth another $10 million. Before Sunday, Snedeker had earned $14.6 million in his six-year career.

Despite a double bogey at the long par-3 sixth, where nine of the 30 players in the field found the water with their tee shots, Snedeker seemed to be in total control all day. He made five birdies in the final round, including a chip-in at the par-4 17th. Justin Rose finished second at seven under.

"I had complete confidence in what I was doing,'' Snedeker said.

Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world who had won three of his last four tournaments and two playoff events in a row, struggled on Sunday, shooting 39 on the front nine with a double bogey at the sixth. His four-over 74 left him one under for the tournament and second in the FedEx standings.

Tiger Woods also made double at No. 6, part of a front-nine 38 that knocked him out of contention. He finished with two-over 72 on Sunday and was two under for the tournament, third in FedEx points.

This is the sixth year of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods has won it twice, in 2007 and 2009; Vijay Singh won in 2008; Jim Furyk in 2010; and Bill Haas in 2011.

Snedeker's win also validated his selection by captain Davis Love to the United States Ryder Cup team. He'll join 11 other American players for the biennial competition against Europe, which will be held this Friday through Sunday at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

Related: Leaderboard | FedEx Cup Winners | Tiger Woods career gallery | Rory McIlroy career gallery

Photo: Carlos M. Saavedra/SI

In his press conference Wednesday at East Lake Country Club, Rory McIlroy joked about Greg Norman's recent comment that Tiger Woods is "intimidated" by McIlroy:

Q. Greg Norman made some headlines with comments saying that Tiger is intimidated by you. Did you see those comments and what were those thoughts?

RORY McILROY: He's got a new nickname for me, actually. He calls me the Intimidator. He's obviously seen them too [smiling]. No, how can I intimidate Tiger Woods? I mean, the guy's got 75 or 70‑whatever PGA TOUR wins, 14 majors. I mean, he's been the biggest thing ever in our sport. I mean, how could some little 23‑year‑old from Northern Ireland with a few wins come up and intimidate him. It's just not possible. I don't know where he got that from, but it's not true [laughing].

Q. Was there ever a time when you were intimidated by Tiger?

RORY McILROY: No, I don't think intimidated is the right word. More just in awe of what he's done, of his accomplishments, of his achievements, but never intimidated.

Q. On the same lines here with Tiger, the fact that you've won four times with him sort of breathing down your neck this year. How satisfying is that, and what does that say about your development?

RORY McILROY: It is a great feeling to be able to hold off the best players in the world. He came charging on me at the Honda this year, and I was able to hang on and win there. At the Deutsche Bank he was in the group ahead of us and making a run. Not so much last week at the BMW, he was a little far behind. But you look at the leaderboards the last few weeks and you see all the great names and top players on those leaderboards, and to be able to come out on top in recent weeks is obviously very satisfying.

McIlroy has never before teed it up in the Tour Championship, but he's the hottest golfer on the planet and the clear front-runner to take home the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. However, the other names in the top five on the points list are Woods, Watney, Mickelson and Snedeker. McIlroy will play the first two rounds of the Tour Championship with Woods, as he has throughout the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Q. Are you sick of playing with Tiger, and do you think he's sick of playing with you?

RORY McILROY: [Laughing] No, it's great. It's a great position to be in. Every time that we get paired up, I'm obviously very excited for it. It's a great buzz. It's a great buzz around the group. So, no, it's still a great thing for me. You'll have to ask him if he feels the same way. But for me it's very exciting, and I'm looking forward to that first tee on Thursday.

Tiger Woods also laughed off Norman's comments at his press conference Wednesday.

Q. Greg Norman made some headlines yesterday saying that you're intimidated by Rory. Did you see those comments and what were your thoughts?

TIGER WOODS: It's got to be the hair, yeah.

Q. Are you intimidated by Rory?

TIGER WOODS: As I said, it's got to be the hair.

Q. Have you ever been intimidated by any other golfers?

TIGER WOODS: No, no one is the size of Ray Lewis who is going to hit me coming over the middle, so this is a different kind of sport. We go out there and we play our own game. And see where it falls at the end of the day. As I said, it's not like you go over the middle and some guy is 255 pounds and going to take your block off. This is about execution and going about your own business and see where tends up at the end of the day. It's just the nature of our sport, which is different than some sports. Some individual sports, such as tennis, you actually can do that physically, because you're playing against somebody. Here no one is affecting any shots.

Since both players will be traveling to Chicago for the Ryder Cup after this week's finish, there's a chance they might find themselves facing off again next week.

Q. You said in a recent interview that you would look forward to maybe pairing with Tiger on Sunday at the Ryder Cup. Is this something that you guys have talked about? If so, have you brought it up to Jose [Olazabal, European captain]?

RORY McILROY: No, it's about the team. It's about the 12 guys as part of the European team and the US Team. It's not about one guy playing another guy. Of course there are a lot of people that would like to see it. It would be very exciting to be a part of, of course. But I just want to win as many points as possible for Europe, and that's all I can really do. I'm not going to sit here and lie and say I wouldn't enjoy it, because I would. But I think that's up to the captain to decide where I play and where he wants to put me, and whatever decision he makes is good with me.

You can read full transcripts of McIlroy and Woods' press conferences on asapsports.com.

Related: Ryder Cup Preview | Tour Championship tee times | Galleries: Tiger's career | Rory's career

Photo Credit: Associated Press

The hottest golfer on the planet just keeps getting better.

Rory McIlroy shot a final-round five-under 67 to erase an early deficit and win the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. It was his second consecutive victory and his third in his last four PGA Tour starts, a run that included a win in the year's final major, the PGA Championship. 

Phil Mickelson, who shared the lead entering the final round, shot 70 to finish 18 under, tied for second with Lee Westwood.

McIlroy took the lead on the opening nine holes while shooting a three-under 33. He rattled off birdies on 10, 15 and 16 to slam the door on what was a crowded leaderboard early in the day and earn his fourth victory of the season. He didn't make a bogey until his final hole, but by then the outcome was already sealed.

McIlroy, 23, won last week's Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, and last month's PGA for his second career major title. He also won the Honda Classic in March.

Tiger Woods shot 68, but he never seriously challenged for the lead and tied for fourth.

The BMW Championship was the third tournament in the Tour's four-event FedEx Cup playoffs. McIlroy leads the standings, and the top 30 players now advance to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, where they will compete for a $10 million prize. That event begins Sept. 20.

(Photo: Warren Little / Getty Images)

In easily our biggest (personal) upset of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Johnson Wagner has shaved off his mustache.

According to PGATour.com's Helen Ross, the 32-year-old Texan sliced off his full Selleck Friday, after popping a 79 at The Barclays to miss the cut.

Wagner (pictured, with 'stache) had been working on the magnificent pelt of lip fur since last Thanksgiving, with eyes on keeping it until he made the Masters. Well, after a hot start to the season, he got to Augusta -- but has since cooled considerably. Wagner has missed eight of his last 15 cuts.

“A lot of people have asked me in the last two days ‘Did your wife finally convince you to (shave),’” Wagner told Ross. “She’s always hated it. That had no bearing on the decision but she’s very happy about it."

Maybe now he can get to work on a full playoff beard. Because, no matter what the tour tells you, the FedEx Cup isn't a playoff unless the players stop shaving for it.

(Photo: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)

Jason Dufner, currently ranked No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, is taking a slow approach to the start of the PGA Tour playoffs. He's skipping the first event.

Dufner announced his intention to skip The Barclays on Friday in order to rest up for his late season schedule, according to Helen Ross of PGATour.com.

"I’ve had a pretty heavy schedule since Firestone or so and I’m looking forward to the second part of the Playoffs," Dufner told Ross. "I’m just not going to be able to do eight out of nine weeks with the TOUR Championship and Ryder Cup at the end of it."

Guessing that's not what the Tour wants to hear. Dufner is playing this week at the Wyndham Championship, and actually has a chance to vault over Tiger Woods and into Cup's top spot with a good showing. (He'll go into the weekend at five under -- seven shots back.) As it is, the Duf was slated to play in the marquee group alongside Woods and Rory McIlroy next week at Bethpage.

But Dufner's priorities are less immediate than that, and, apparently, his motivations are less monetary. Dufner defended his choice to play the Wyndham rather than the more lucrative Barclays, explaining that he has played in Greensboro each of the seven years he's been on tour, and felt a strong need to extend that streak. In our book, there's nothing wrong with that.

On Monday, Tiger Woods formally committed to play in The Barclays. Formally is the operative word here: There was little doubt Woods would head to Bethpage to play the playoff event, which starts Aug. 23.

But, barring any serious changes, that commitment means fans won't have to wait until the Ryder Cup to see Woods and Rory McIlroy go head to head, according to PGATour.com. As No. 1 (Woods) and No. 2 (McIlroy) in FedEx Cup standings, the pair will play side-by-side during their first two trips around the Black Course in the tournament's top threesome.

McIlroy vaulted six spots in the FedEx Cup points standings after his eight-shot win in the PGA Championship, locking up a top-three finish in the final standings even though he won't play this week. The third spot in that group -- currently held by Jason Dufner -- remains up for grabs, as does the order of finish. But only Carl Pettersson, who, along with Dufner, is in the field this week at the Wyndham Championship, can muscle his way into the marquee group. Petterssen currently trails Dufner by 450 points; the winner of the Wyndham earns 500.

Regardless, Duf or Carl will feel like a third wheel to most fans, and you can expect many fans will make the trip to Long Island to see golf's two biggest names go shot-for-shot.

What do you buy the world's No. 1 women's tennis player, who can buy anything? Rory McIlroy decided to get his girlfriend Caroline a lob wedge—with their celebrity couple name on it.

We haven’t seen a couple this cute since, well…

FedEx Cup still has too much math
While Bill Haas’s thrilling playoff victory over Hunter Mahan gave a boost to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoff system, Ron Green Sr. of The Charlotte Observer says the playoffs are still too complicated.

There is so much arithmetic involved in that exercise, even the winner, Haas, didn’t know for sure he had claimed the fortune until his wife assured him he had.

Figuring out who was leading near the finish and then who won is not something you do on your fingers and toes. You need a mathematician and a bunch of possibilities that could give a computer a headache.

The Fed Ex Cup competition is supposed to be a big finish to the season like the World Series or Super Bowl, but it misses the mark. It’s interesting as it comes down to the wire but it’s not exciting when somebody has to tell you who won and why.

NBA’s Stephen Curry makes hole-in-one
Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry is spending the lockout the way we would if our Golf.com corporate overseers locked us out: playing golf. According to Reid Cherner of USA Today, the sharp-shooting guard hits from downtown on the course as well.

Curry, a nifty golfer growing up, got his first hole-in-one Sunday. It came on the 143-yard, Par 3 third hole at Half Moon Bay Golf Links' Ocean Course.

When he was at Davidson, Curry talked about golf helping his basketball game.

"I would say when things aren't going well, and in golf that happens a lot, you have to find your way through it and turn your game around,'' he explains. "I don't know if there is a direct comparison but when you don't have your shot going you have to stay calm and keep your composure and find other ways to be an influence on the court."

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From Steve Elling of CBS Sports...

Butch Harmon criticized his former student Tiger Woods for hiring caddie Joe LaCava away from Dustin Johnson. Harmon, who is now Johnson's swing coach and had recommended that Johnson hire LaCava, said Woods should have asked Johnson's permission to speak with LaCava about the job, which has been vacant since Woods fired his longtime caddie Steve Williams in July. On Sunday, Harmon told Sky Sports he was "shocked" by the move.

"The thing that bothered me the most was T.W. not calling Dustin and asking if he could talk to Joe. That's the way it's done. I'm a little disappointed with the way Tiger handled it. But I'm not surprised."

But Tiger’s camp has a different version of the story, stating that LaCava reached out to them. LaCava corroborated this story on Woods's website.

“I contacted Tiger and Mark [Steinberg] because this is a unique opportunity to be part of something very special. Tiger and I have been friends for a very long time, and I know what he can do. I want to thank Dustin for the opportunity to work with him, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

According to Lawrence Donegan of The Guardian UK, the Johnson-LaCava partnership wasn't a perfect fit.

This comes as no surprise to those close to LaCava, who was apparently telling friends at last month's US PGA Championship in Atlanta he had quickly become disillusioned with life on the fairways with Johnson. The caddie is a well-rounded individual, an old-school type who found it hard to come to terms with his young employer's free-wheeling style on and off the course. In short, they were a bad match.

Pace-of-play woes at Solheim Cup
While this year’s Solheim Cup might go down as the most exciting edition of the biennial event, very few people wanted it to go on any longer. The prescribed pace of play was an extremely generous 5 hours and 20 minutes. On Day One alone, three out of four afternoon matches exceeded that timeframe. John Huggan of Golf Digest Woman has the details:

“It wasn't pretty but it was definitely ponderous. A huge factor in the slowness being the much-criticized need of so many players to have their caddies line them up for both full shots and putts. It is surely time for that time-consuming and often-pointless practice to be outlawed.”

Obama and Clinton tee it up
President Obama and former President Bill Clinton played golf at Joint Base Andrews golf course in Maryland on Saturday. According to USA Today's David Jackson, Obama said that he and Clinton discussed various strategies for creating jobs as they played.

During a speech last night to the Congressional Black Caucus, Obama said he and Clinton talked about creating jobs, as well as Republican opposition to higher taxes on the wealthy to finance a new jobs plan.

"They say it kills jobs -- oh, that's going to kill jobs," Obama said. "We're not proposing anything other than returning to the tax rates for the wealthiest Americans that existed under Bill Clinton."

"I played golf with Bill Clinton today," Obama said. "I was asking him, how did that go? Well, it turns out we had a lot of jobs. The well-to-do, they did even better. So did the middle class. We lifted millions out of poverty.

In a written statement, the White House said Obama and Clinton played for about four hours and were joined by Clinton’s longtime aide Doug Band and White House Chief of Staff William Daley. No scores were disclosed.

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It's that time of year again, and now is your chance to play the popular game, "Guess Who Can Make a Mockery of the FedEx Cup!" Previous winners include Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh, who were so dominant that they wrapped up the FedEx Cup before the Tour Championship.

Last year, Jim Furyk was disqualified from the first playoff event after missing his pro-am tee time, but he still went on to win the $10 million bonus.

This year's top contestant is Matt Kuchar, who could win the FedEx Cup without winning a tournament all year, according to Larry Dorman of the New York Times.

Matt Kuchar, who has two second-place finishes among his nine top 10s this year and is third in the FedEx Cup points standings, could conceivably walk away with most of the money and the Tiffany-designed silver FedEx Cup by finishing second this week and next week at the Tour Championship.

Finishing second two weeks in a row is almost as difficult as winning two weeks in a row. But Kuchar’s mind-numbing consistency over the past two seasons, during which he has 20 top-10 finishes in 47 starts, makes it a possibility. And he did finish second in the FedEx Cup last year.

Breaking News: Donald Trump is Mad About Something
Trump is at it again with the Scottish government. According to the Guardian, the Donald is furious over the government's plan to build a wind farm off the coast of Trump's new golf resort.

In the letter, the US tycoon described the wind turbines, to be located a mile from his golf course, as "disastrous and environmentally irresponsible". Trump's £750m development on the Menie estate on the coast is nearing completion after work began a year ago.

Another Music Video By People Who Shouldn't Be Making Music Videos

LPGA rookie Tiffany Joh sampled Freak Nasty's "Da Dip." Enjoy.

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