The Timeless Magic of Champions: Watching Our Heroes Age Like Fine Wine originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
I’m sitting here Saturday night, scrolling through the ISPS Handa Senior Open leaderboard, and damn if Padraig Harrington isn’t two shots clear heading into Sunday. The 53-year-old Irishman just fired another 65 at Sunningdale, and honestly? It shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but it still does.
This is what I love about golf, specifically watching these guys on the PGA Tour Champions. Harrington isn’t just hanging around — he’s dominating. Justin Leonard is lurking two shots back, which adds its own layer of nostalgia since Leonard was grinding at the Open Championship just last week, making the cut at Royal Portrush.
Let me throw some numbers at you that’ll blow your mind. Since Harrington turned 50 in August 2021, he’s played in 58 PGA Tour Champions events and won 10 of them. He’s finished second nine times. Do the math — that’s winning or getting second place in a third of his starts. A THIRD. And if you expand it to top-10s? He’s cashing big checks 60% of the time.
I remember watching Leonard win the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1997. I was only a year into being a New York transplant here in Florida, chasing my dream of working in golf and becoming a PGA professional and coach. Now, here Leonard is, 28 years later, still beautifully navigating British courses. There’s something beautiful about that continuity.
You know what drives me crazy? This idea some have about the PGA Tour Champions Tour. That its some glorified exhibition circuit with yesterday’s stars winding down and playing at half speed. A place where old guys simply tell war stories, shake hands, sign autographs and kiss babies. Well, they probably do that, but that other part is complete nonsense. Harrington is averaging 303 yards off the tee this season at 53. Try doing that after your morning coffee, Mr. 30-something 10 handicap.
Take Tom Watson at Turnberry in 2009 — 58 years old, standing over an eight-footer to win The Open Championship. Sure, he missed it and lost the playoff to Stewart Cink — but here’s the thing — he wasn’t there because someone felt sorry for him. Watson earned that moment, and that putt to potentially make history.
And don’t get me started on Bernhard Langer. He’s 67 and has won at least one tournament every year for 18 consecutive seasons on the PGA Tour Champions. Eighteen. Years. I can barely maintain a consistent coffee order for 18 days.
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Here’s what separates golf from every other sport: It rewards experience in ways that basketball or tennis or football never can. Yeah, the 20-somethings can bomb it 320 yards now. So what? Can they read a links course in the wind? Do they know how to manage their emotions when they’re leading a major championship?
Harrington does. Leonard does. These guys have been in the crucible, and they remember what it feels like.
There’s something comforting about that in 2025. Everything else moves so fast now. YouTube golf instruction, Instagram or TikTok promises to fix your swing in 15 seconds. Equipment companies launch “revolutionary” drivers every six months. But good golf? Good golf is still good golf. A perfectly struck 7-iron doesn’t care if you’re 25 or 55.
Sunday at Sunningdale, I’ll be watching with the same anticipation I felt as a kid. Not because I expect some miracle, but because I know these guys are still capable of magic. Win or lose, they’ve already proved something important: Greatness doesn’t come with an expiration date.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
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