Pádraig Harrington spoke of his love for the Champions Tour stating he has never been happier on the senior circuit in response to Rory McIlroy’s comments that he could never see himself competing into his 50s.
McIlroy, who still has fifteen years to go on the main tours said if he is playing senior golf when he is 50, something has gone terribly wrong, but while Harrington understands why his former Ryder Cup teammate would say that, he insists playing on the Champions Tour has given him a new lease of life.
“Look, they’re words. You say words and they’re picked over and pulled apart,” Harrington said ahead of his title defence at the Hoag Classic.
“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. The fact of the matter is like somebody like me, 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.”
Harrington has often spoken of how being able to contend for titles more often on the senior circuit has sharpened up his game for when he does make occasional PGA Tour and DP World Tour appearances.
The 53-year-old was impressive on the DP World Tour last summer with three top-25 finishes in four starts, including T12 at Wentworth where he shot four rounds in the 60s and he thinks if McIlroy is still competitive on the main tours at 50, playing on the Champions Tour will help him maintain his nerve coming down the stretch in events.
“I think Rory will find that it’s likely it will change. There’s fun to be had out here. 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.
“And in some ways you’re reliving your past, you’re reliving the wins you’ve had, you’re validating the wins you’ve had in some ways. 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.”
Harrington wouldn’t be surprised if McIlroy changed his mind in fifteen years time and joined in the fun on the Champions Tour.
“Look, everybody’s different, but it’s fun out here and as I said, we’ve heard a lot of people say that. And it’s a reasonable narrative 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.”
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