Rory McIlroy on Tiger Woods: 'I don't think any torch has been passed'

Another day, another Rory McIlroy interview session with the media and, yes, another round of questions asking him to compare and contrast himself with Tiger Woods.

Here’s how McIlroy answered those various questions Wednesday afternoon.

On whether the torch has been passed from Woods to himself: “I'm just going to keep playing my golf and play as good as I can, and I'll see where that takes me. But I don't think any torch has been passed and I don't think any torch will ever be passed because I never think of myself in that way. I never see myself like that. I see myself as a golfer on the PGA Tour that wants to win tournaments and wants to be the best that he can be, and I don't see the need for me to carry any sort of torch. I just want to win golf tournaments.”

On how they differ as competitors: “He's telling me like, ‘I'm not going to let you win a green jacket next year,’ because he's super competitive. I might not look it, but I'm the exact same way. I've got a very competitive spirit, but it would only be on a golf course. Like, I'll let you win in a game of pool. I don't care about that. But golf, it's my thing to be competitive at and it's my thing to succeed in, so of course I'm really competitive, and even if it doesn't look it, on the inside I'm trying to beat those guys to death on the course.”

On his day spent with Woods and Jimmy Fallon on Monday: “Spent a good bit of time with him and it was good fun. Kept telling me he wasn't done yet. It was good. He really wants to get healthy and really looking forward to getting back out there. Obviously, he believes he's still got some of his best golf left.”

-- Jason Sobel, GolfChannel.com