Rory McIlroys ex-teammate wins $800k in event he | Golf News

While Rory McIlroy has firmly determined against collaborating in the PGA Champions Tour, affirming he’ll never swing a membership on that circuit, his former Ryder Cup teammate Padraig Harrington has pocketed an $800,000 paycheck from the tour.

At the age of 53, the Irish golf veteran clinched his second U.S. Senior Open championship, held at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, and continued to rake in earnings from the over-50 PGA circuit. So far this season, Harrington’s take-home from 9 occasions on the Champions Tour is estimated at about $1.4 million, including a hefty $264k for his runner-up spot at the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club final May.

McIlroy was once clear-cut about his stance on becoming a member of the Champions Tour in the long run, declaring when questioned: “Absolutely not.”

He added: “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 gone terribly wrong if I have to compete in golf at 50.”

Contrastingly, Harrington may beg to differ following his substantial $800,000 windfall, attributing his success to feeling at ease on the course and possessing a aggressive mental edge.

He mentioned: “Here I’m comfortable. I’m not thinking I’m going to miss the cut. Touch wood that doesn’t happen. If you brought me to a regular event on Thursday afternoon, I’d be thinking about the cut line. Whereas here I’m thinking, how do I get myself into position?”

Harrington added: “Even the first couple of days, I got going and could have pulled away from the field. I dropped back a couple of shots, but I was still going. All I want is to be in it with nine holes to go and in the right headspace.”

This triumph provides yet one other feather to Harrington’s cap on the Champions Tour, which he joined in 2022, shortly nabbing Rookie of the Year accolades. His victory at the U.S. Senior Open that similar yr proved he wasn’t executed yet, and this newest win cements his popularity as one of the tour’s high threats.

With six top-three finishes in his final sixteen main begins on the Champions Tour, Harrington’s aggressive edge is as sharp as ever.

Both McIlroy and Harrington had been half of Team Europe’s lineup at the 2010 Ryder Cup, where McIlroy performed a pivotal position in securing victory and Harrington marked his sixth consecutive participation. While Harrington has wholeheartedly dedicated to the senior circuit, McIlroy’s perspective appears set to stay unchanged.

McIlroy, who hasn’t laid out a definitive plan for retirement, has expressed a need to depart the game while he still has “left in the tank”. He hopes to bow out on his own phrases, quite than being pressured out by persistent accidents.