GOLF:JIM FURYK headed to the Ryder Cup last night almost €8.5 million richer after landing golf's biggest jackpot in Atlanta.

The 40-year-old American won the Tour Championship by a single shot from England’s Luke Donald – also bound for Celtic Manor – and with it added the €7.4 million FedEx Cup play-off bonus to complete a remarkable turnaround from four weeks ago.

Furyk began the end-of-season series by being disqualified from the first of the four events for oversleeping.

But, forced to play catch-up once he woke up, the former US Open champion did just that – with more than a little help from all those above him in the points race, including Donald and Paul Casey. Starting the final week 11th on the points table Furyk’s closing 70 – a lot of it played in pouring rain – gave him an eight under par total of 272.

Donald, for whom a win would have given him both winning cheques, looked out of it when he bogeyed the 16th and came up short of the 17th green, but he dramatically chipped in from over 90 feet.

However, Furyk, three clear with three to play, then bogeyed the same two holes and after Donald, also second at the Deutsche Bank Championship three weeks ago, parred the difficult par three last Furyk had to do the same to triumph.

Pushing his tee shot into sand increased the tension, but he splashed out of the wet sand magnificently to within three feet and holed.

Donald’s consolation was an overall play-off bonus of over €1.4 million for third place and he said: “Obviously I have a little bit of disappointment – I had a good chance and unfortunately I came up one shot short. I will try to crack that winner’s circle soon (his last title in American was over four and a half years ago) and hopefully I can take some of this good golf to the Ryder Cup.”