GOLF/US TOUR:JIM FURYK, the man who began the FedEx Cup play-offs by oversleeping and being disqualified, now looms as the biggest threat to Luke Donald's hopes of a €8.5 million jackpot this weekend.

While Paul Casey fell back badly late in the second round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta, playing partner Furyk produced a brilliant best-of-the-day 65 to reach halfway on eight under par.

But Donald, with his short game razor-sharp, matched that aggregate with a second successive 66 and they are a stroke ahead of Australian Geoff Ogilvy.

Casey, with a definite point to prove after Donald received a Ryder Cup wildcard and he missed out, finished with three bogeys and from joint overnight leader now has five strokes to make up.

Furyk, who at Celtic Manor next week will collect his seventh cap, was thrown out of the first of the four play-off events for missing his tee-off time – not in the tournament itself, but the curtain-raising pro-am.

That rule was subsequently changed, but Furyk returned the following week and by winning on Sunday may well pocket the near €7.5 million FedEx bonus as well as the €1 million first prize.

He chipped in on the first hole – playing partner Casey also birdied it – and after turning in 33 to be two behind Donald he overtook him by picking up more shots at the 11th, 14th and 15th with a putter he bought recently for under €25.

But Donald matched the birdie on the long 15th, then made a 30-footer at the next and got out of trouble at the two closing holes.

Casey was left wishing he could have done the same. He was in no fewer than six bunkers on the last four holes and slipped to fifth.