A total purse of 6.5 million dollars, with 107,900 dollars guaranteed for a last-place finish, wasn’t enough to lure Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to East Lake for the season finale.

Woods, winner of the British Open and PGA Championship this year cited fatigue after his recent three-week stretch in Europe, while Masters champion Mickelson hasn’t played since a disappointing performance at the Ryder Cup in September.

“I completely understand being too tired to play or put your best effort forward,” Ogilvy, the reigning US Open champion, said. ”Playing when you’ve had enough is no fun, especially on a tough course. It wears you out.

“He puts a fair bit into it when he actually plays, and it seems to take a lot out of him. It’s a shame for the tournament but he needs to do what he needs to do.

“I’m not yet in a position in my career where I can take the Tour Championship off, but he can.”

Woods has an active six-tournament winning streak on tour, which prompted Ogilvy to joke that world’s top-ranked player was ducking the field at East Lake.

“He’ll probably come out and win the first four tournaments next year but it won’t be a convincing streak, because he didn’t come here and beat us,” Ogilvy said.

In an effort to avoid this year’s embarrassment and the general lack of interest in golf so late in the year, the PGA Tour has moved up next year’s Tour Championship to mid-September, with a playoff-style points system used to qualify, rather than the money list.

One thing that will stay the same, however, is that there is still no guarantee that Woods and Mickelson will turn up.

“I’m disappointed, candidly,” PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said of the absence of Woods and Mickelson. “There’s no other way to characterize it. I’m disappointed.”

Finchem went on to add that he fully expected both players to compete next year.

But while Woods, who was spotted on the practice range at his home club in Florida on Monday, and Mickelson take the week off, 27 players will compete for the 1,170,000-dollar first prize.

Woods has already locked up the money list title, so just about the only thing at stake is the Vardon Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest stroke average.

Woods would have won that too, but didn’t play the required minimum 60 events.

Jim Furyk is likely to win the Vardon unless Australian Adam Scott beats him by about a dozen strokes.

South African Ernie Els will be as motivated as anyone in the field, because he is winless in 24 worldwide starts this year.