PGA Tour is undergoing a changing of the guard

Rickie Fowler is 26 years old. On the PGA Tour, that makes him a senior citizen.

"Yeah, last year and this year I have had a couple groups where I have been the oldest player," Fowler said. "Maybe that's veteran territory."

It is these days. The Tour is undergoing a changing of the guard and there's no better evidence of that than at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Tiger Woods, 39, missed the cut. So did 44-year-old Phil Mickelson.

Meanwhile, young guns like Justin Thomas (21), Daniel Berger (21) and Arizona State junior Jon Rahm (20) found themselves atop the leader board.

"I have never been so happy on a golf course," Rahm said.

All the kids are having the time of their life. Last year, nine tournaments were won by players 25 and under, a list that includes Rory McIlRoy (25), Patrick Reed (23), Harris English (24) and Russell Henley (24). The roll call doesn't even include 21-year-old Jordan Spieth, who had eight top-10 finishes, was second at The Masters and had back-to-back wins in December at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge.

To put those nine tournaments in perspective, in the 2010 and 2011 seasons combined, seven tournaments were won by players 25 and under.

How young has the Tour become? Mickelson is seen as a father/big brother type.

"I think there was a past interview or some sort that I referred to him as a dad figure," Fowler said. "That didn't settle too well. I don't think he liked that one much. (But) he's definitely taken some younger guys under his wing."

The kids are flourishing in part because of Woods. He made golf attractive to a generation of players who might have grown up playing another sport.

"I don't think I'd be where I am today if it wasn't for Tiger," Thomas said. "He was an idol of mine growing up, and a lot of people my age. And Phil, as well, seeing the things they did, and being interested in golf, it was kind of hard not to do that as fast as we could."

Thomas had a revealing exchange with reporters on Friday after shooting 3-under 68. He referenced a putt he attempted as an amateur as darkness descended on the course. He missed the putt and another player told him he should have waited until morning, when the greens had no spike marks.

"When you were young and stupid?" a reporter said, smiling.

"Yes," Thomas replied.

"How old are you now?" the reporter said.

"Twenty-one. I was 16 then," Thomas said.

Yeah, he's all grown up.

Spieth and Thomas are the poster boys for the youth movement. They were friends as collegiate golfers – Speith at the University of Texas, Thomas at the University of Alabama – and Spieth's success turning pro following his freshman season helped convince Thomas to move on after his sophomore year. They're part of a 2011 graduation class that includes Berger.

"High school," Spieth clarified, "because there was no college graduation."

Having contemporaries on Tour is important both in terms of competition and comfort. Many of the young players have been competing against each other since their early amateur days and they're driven by a "whatever-you-can-do-I-can-do-better" mentality. But they also can help each other adjust to life as a professional, from the courses they play to the hotels to stay at and the food to eat.

"We get to hang out and be 21-year-olds again," Thomas said. "I think it can be tough for us out here because there is a lot of, you know, mid-to-late 20s and early, middle 30s and it's pretty serious out here. For us I think it's important to stay young and we need to enjoy it."

How young has the Tour become?

"Patrick (Reed) seems like a veteran now," Thomas said. "What, he's 24? It's insane."

Yes it is.

But it's also a comfort for the PGA Tour as it prepares for life without Woods and Mickelson. The young kids may not move the needle like Tiger and Phil – at least not yet – but give them a few years.

By that point, Fowler will have his AARP card.