Jim Furyk has claimed that Rory McIlroy is a "marked man", with a week remaining before the start of the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy has been in superb form recently, adding two FedEx Cup playoff tournaments to his triumph in the USPGA Championship in August.
The Northern Irishman's run over the past few weeks is an obvious concern to the American team, with Furyk admitting that most of the attention will be on the 23-year-old in Chicago.
"He won the PGA by a ton of shots, won his last two events and no matter how he plays here he's right now the present day Tiger Woods where everyone's eyes are on him," said Furyk. "Tiger is still Tiger - everyone would love to see that pairing in the Ryder Cup - but obviously he (McIlroy) is a marked man.
"He's the number one player in the world. He's going to garner all the attention, as well he should. He's played phenomenal this year."
McIlroy will be aiming to continue his recent form in America by winning the Tour Championship in Atlanta.