Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s stellar play at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans was enough to convince a PGA Tour winner that his time as a top contender was over and he was ready to retire
Kevin Chappell has opened up on his decision to retire from the PGA Tour(Image: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
One-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Chappell has revealed that watching Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry play led him into retirement.
The former world No. 23 has called time on his playing career, with his latter years on tour hampered by back injuries. After winning the Valero Texas Open in 2017, he needed major back surgery in 2018 and, despite making comeback attempts, the Californian was unable to rediscover his form.
Chappell played five PGA Tour events this season, failing to make the weekend in each of the four events with a cut. But it was at the Zurich Classic, the only team event on the PGA Tour, in April when he realized that the elite level of the game was beyond his reach. McIlroy and Lowry won the event in 2024 and were the star attraction again at TPC Louisiana this year.
READ MORE: Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo sets astonishing new NCAA record against AkronREAD MORE: Notre Dame delivers major news on quarterback CJ Carr on Wednesday
Chappell and his teammate Tom Hoge were paired with McIlroy and Lowry for the opening two rounds, and the class of his playing partners led the 39-year-old to conclude his days as a top contender on tour were over.
Chappell, who won individual and team national championships at UCLA before turning pro, opened up on his decision to step back from the PGA Tour on the ‘SubPar’ podcast.
“I wasn’t really prepared, but was excited to be in the event, and I’m watching Shane and Rory play, and I’m just like, man, I might not have ever been Rory, but I certainly was a top 30 player in the world,” he said.
Playing with McIlroy band Lowry at the Zurich Classic gave Chappell a reality check(Image: Getty Images)
“The amount of work it’s going to take to get back there and the things I’m going to miss out on, I don’t know that this is worth it to me.
“So, I kind of sat on that thought for the spring and into summer and took the family over to Europe and played two European tour events or DP World Tour events, and I think this is it.”
Chappell is 147th on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list, with career earnings in excess of $17.6 million. But after mulling things over with his wife, Elizabeth, he knew it was time to call it a day.
“When I told my wife, she was like, ‘You’ve said this before, but I actually believe you this time.’ To have her say that was kind of like, ‘Oh yeah, I am projecting a different message here,'” he explained.
“There wasn’t any emotion behind it other than ‘Here’s the facts and these are the reasons I don’t want to continue to do this.’
“Before, it would be I would shoot 78 and I would be like ‘I don’t know if I can do this anymore,’ and that’s very emotional and you’re stuck in the situation that just happened.
“This was a culmination of a lot of evidence and presented in a way that this was more of a life decision than a career decision.”
