Rory McIlroy alludes to Woods, Mickelson career mortality at Tour Championship

Combine the CVs of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and the numbers are staggering: 121 PGA Tour wins including 19 major championships.

Combine their ages, however, and the figure is troublesome. Woods turns 39 in December. Mickelson is 44. That’s 83 years, putting both players closer to the end of their glory days.

For the first time since 1992, neither Woods nor Mickelson qualified for the Tour Championship. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy was asked if that constitutes a changing-of-the-guard moment. McIlroy gave an accurate assessment: Mickelson was inconsistent all year and tired in the playoffs, while the season was a lost one for Woods thanks to a lingering back injury and subsequent surgery. It was what he said next, however, that has some golf fans up in arms.

“They’re just getting older,” he said. “Phil’s 43 or whatever he is (44) and Tiger’s nearly 40 (almost 39). So they’re getting into the sort of last few holes of their career. And that’s what happens. You get injured. Phil has to deal with an arthritic condition as well. So it obviously just gets harder as you get older. I’ll be able to tell you in 20 years how it feels.”

McIlroy wasn’t lying. He wasn’t disrespectful. The Ulsterman was simply acknowledging the career mortality of the game’s two biggest figures of the last quarter-century. As you age, injuries take longer to heal. You get tired more quickly. You lose distance. Desire can fade.

The record also shows that it’s really hard to play consistently at an elite level after the age of 40. There are exceptions, however. Vijay Singh ran off 22 PGA Tour wins after turning 40, twice more than Kenny Perry, his next-nearest modern peer. Steve Stricker has won nine times in his 40s.

The issue? Of those 43 wins, just one was a major. Singh won the 2004 PGA Championship in a three-man playoff with Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard. Just five players in the history of the game have won multiple majors in their 40s.

Woods hasn’t won a major since 2008 and has been facing a back problem for over a year now. Mickelson is good for a win most years, but only majors can grow his legend. For either, mustering the energy to chase young guns on a week-to-week basis is frankly an errand of pride.

So, McIlroy has it right. Between psychological barriers and physical limitations, thriving at an advanced athletic age is difficult. Neither Woods nor Mickelson will do this much longer, much less forever. As the torch bearer for the sport’s next generation, McIlroy has no problem recognizing the circle of life. He is assuming their spotlight. The problem is for those who aren’t ready to let go of the Woods Era (with Mickelson as a strong Woody Harrelson to Woods’ Matthew McConaughey).

We may see glimpses of greatness from Woods and Mickelson again. We may see them with some regularity. However, we’ll certainly see them less often.

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports