Rory McIlroy sees Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson in career twilight

The Tour Championship tees off this week with neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson in the field -- the first time that has happened in more than two decades.

So does Rory McIlroy -- the current No. 1 player -- see a passing of the torch?

“Not really,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “Phil has played well in parts this year ... Tiger’s not here just because he’s injured.”

However, McIlroy believes that two of the biggest names in the game are well down the back nine, so to speak.

“They’re getting older ... they’re getting into the sort of last few holes of their careers, and that’s what happens,” he said, adding: “It obviously just gets harder as you get older.”

This will be McIlroy’s second shot at the championship after finishing second to Brandt Snedeker in the FedEx Cup standings two years ago. He stands in second place as of this week and is one of five players -- including Chris Kirk, Billy Horschel, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan -- who are guaranteed to grab the $10-million bonus if they win in Atlanta.