Rory McIlroy says he is comfortable with the format change at this year’s Tour Championship, which gives each one of the 30-strong field a unique chance to lift the FedEx Cup.

The Sweden striker, who has been the subject of a rejected bid from Liverpool, was not involved in Newcastle’s Premier League opener on Saturday.

John Swinney said the 2011 election, where the SNP won a majority, leading to the 2014 independence referendum, had set a ‘precedent’.