Then Fleetwood found himself leading entering the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He pulled two ahead with three birdies in a four-hole stretch on Sunday’s back nine, but his failure to birdie the par-5 16th or make a 7-foot par putt on the next hole left him a stroke out of the playoff won by countryman Justin Rose.

The first two rounds at East Lake also gave Fleetwood a career-high aggregate scoring tie, with a total of 127 strokes. It's a mark he achieved just two weeks ago at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he also led after 36 holes.

Fleetwood, who has banked more than $33 million, the most money of any player on the PGA Tour without a victory, has finished T-3 and T-4 at the first two legs of the Playoffs. This week’s winner of the 30-man FedEx Cup finale will take home not one, but two trophies and a first-place check of $10 million.