Rory McIlroy’s Champions tour distaste? Major winner says ‘they’re words’

Padraig Harrington says he’s never been happier. 

And that his weeks are what people “save the whole year to have.”

And that he couldn’t see why anybody wouldn’t want to play PGA Tour Champions golf.

Even Rory McIlroy. 

“He’ll actually come out, have a bit of fun,” Harrington said. 

McIlroy, though, thought differently last Wednesday. In his pre-Players Championship press conference, there’d been a back-and-forth between reporters and the 35-year-old on knowing when to hang up your golf shoes — and a question was asked about him potentially playing the Champions, a 50-and-over tour. 

To which McIlroy said this:

“Absolutely not. I will not play Champions tour golf. 

“Look, I’ve said a lot of absolutes in my time that I’ve walked back, but I do not envision playing Champions Tour golf. Something has went terribly wrong if I have to compete at golf at 50.”

All of which may have made you wonder how those currently on the Champions tour would respond — did something go “terribly wrong” for them? 

On X, four-time major winner Ernie Els said he once thought he was “bullet proof,” too, before listing some positives. In person, ahead of this week’s Hoag Classic, Harrington, meanwhile, talked for two minutes on McIlroy’s comment. 

“Look, they’re words,” the three-time major winner started. “You say words and they’re picked over and pulled apart.

“I think what you’ll find is a lot of people when they’re 30 years of age need to have an — Rory’s a little older than that, but needs to have an idea that there’s a limit on this, but that limit comes up very quickly and it gets passed. 

“We’ve heard a lot of people say that.”

He then listed the tour’s plusses. 

— There are the golf courses. “The fact of the matter is like somebody like me,” Harrington said, “I’ve never been happier than out here playing on the Champions tour. Never been happier. Love my golf, loving my life. I can’t see like why anybody wouldn’t want to do this. Literally every week I’m living a life that people would save the whole year to have this one week. And the golf courses I play on are the best presented. Like most people my age like to go on a one-week golf trip is like the biggest thing they could do in a year and I get to do it 30 times a year.”

— There’s the golf. “There’s fun to be had out here,” Harrington said. “And he’s hit lots of great shots. I think the big bonus of the Champions tour is you get to hit shots coming down the stretch, great shots under pressure. You feel it, you don’t want to mess up, there are people watching.”

— There’s the chance to relive your past. “You’re reliving the wins you’ve had; you’re validating the wins you’ve had in some ways,” Harrington said. “With all his wins, when he comes out here as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and all the others, he will get the glory and get to enjoy those junior wins, let’s say, when he’s on the senior tour.”

Still, Harrington said he understood McIlroy. 

But he thinks his opinion may change. 

“It’s a reasonable narrative,” he said. “because you’ve got to remember Rory’s playing golf probably full time since he’s 12, 13 years of age. He’s got to put an end to it at this moment in his head or else it just would be overbearing and that end to him is obviously 45, 50 years of age. 

“But it just comes around so quick. Things will change. And I’m not saying everybody changes, but it’s likely that things will change and he’ll actually come out, have a bit of fun. As I said, no more so than if Jack and Arnie came out here and plenty others, there is fun to be had and some glory as well.”