Rory McIlroy was again left frustrated on the greens in the final round of the BMW Championship in Indiana where a final round 72 saw him finish well off the pace on three under par.
US Open champion Dustin Johnson maintained his excellent form throughout the year by cruising to a three shot victory over Paul Casey thanks to a final round 67.
After opening his final round with a birdie, Johnson looked to be struggling when he followed it up with consecutive bogeys at the second and third.
That allowed Casey to move into a share of the lead but not for long as US Open champion Johnson went on a scintillating run which saw him birdie the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth to card a three under par front nine of 33.
There was no let up on the back nine as a birdie at the 11th and a superb eagle at the 15th were only offset somewhat by a bogey at the 13th.
The win takes Johnson to the top of the FedEx Cup standings, 979 points ahead of Patrick Reed going into the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake in two weeks.
New putter
World number three McIlroy has struggled with the flat stick all year but matters looked to have improved last week when he made use of the combination of a new putter and coaching from Phil Kenyon to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
However, after an opening round 68 had him well placed at Crooked Stick, he couldn’t follow it up and had to settle for consecutive rounds in the 70s, finished off with the frustration of two birdies and two bogeys on Sunday.
The finish means he slipped out of the top five in the FedEx Cup standings and will therefore have to win at East Lake and hope Johnson doesn’t perform if he is to scoop the $10 million prize.
Momentum never really got going for the 27-year-old after a birdie at the third was cancelled out by a bogey at the seventh. It was the same case on the inward nine as, after picking up a birdie four at the 15th, he gave the gained shot back to the course two holes later with a five.
World number one Jason Day remained in fourth place in the standings despite having to withdraw after nine holes on Sunday due to a back injury.
As yet it’s unclear as to whether or not he will be fit to play in Atlanta.
Graeme McDowell’s finish alongside McIlroy at three under was not enough for him to move inside the top 30 meaning he won’t tee it up at East Lake.
Despite going out in one under par and picking up a further two shots at the 12th and 13th, the 2010 US Open champion slipped back with bogeys at the 14th, 16th and 18th.
Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, and Zach Johnson were among the big names to miss out on a Tour Championship spot as they finished outside the top 30.
That means that all three will make the most of two weeks off to prepare for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.
With no tournament on the PGA Tour next week the US team are planning a team-bonding weekend at the Minnesotta venue as they look to right the wrongs of 2014 and win back the trophy for the first time since 2008.
