Koepka leads against Thomas, McIlroy in Atlanta

ATLANTA: World number one Brooks Koepka sits on 13 under at the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the Tour Championship.

The American signed for a three-under 67 on day two, mixing four birdies — including a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th — with a bogey for a one-shot lead in Atlanta. Justin Thomas carded a round of 68 while Rory McIlroy shot back-to-back birdies on his final two holes to take a share of second place on 12 under.

The season-ending tournament uses an adapted sliding scale scoring format to decide the winner of the USD 15million (£12.3m) FedExCup first prize, meaning Thomas started the week on 10 under and Koepka began on seven under.

Koepka got off to a steady start in the second round, following up his first birdie on the par-3 sixth hole with two more in a row. But a weather delay interrupted his momentum and it was only at the last hole that he was able to edge ahead.

McIlroy took better advantage of the 90-minute delay, firing his first birdie at the 12th before finishing his round with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th and a closing birdie on the 18th. The Northern Irishman said he had “scrambled well” but admitted luck had played its part.

“I got lucky on 18,” he told Sky Sports. “I didn’t hit a very good drive, and then I had a shot to get it up near the green with my second, and then once I hit that, I had a great lie for my third, and I just sort of rode my luck the whole way along that hole. Being three or four behind those guys for the most part of the day and then to catch JT (Justin Thomas) and only be one back of Brooks, it was nice to finish the way I did.”