"I'm still young-ish:" Rory McIlroy reflects on the current state of his golf career

Rory McIlroy has been in professional golf since 2007. He is embarking on his 17th full season as a pro golfer. The sport is uniquely suited to older players, which is why retired athletes and even 50 or 60-year-old retirees play golf. The PGA Tour Champions is the evidence that golf is not just a young man's game.

With that said, McIlroy knows he's been at it for a while. 17 years is a long time to be doing anything, and the Irishman believes he needs to take extra care to ensure the remaining years, however, many of those are, are as good as they can be.

McIlroy admitted that the last few years have been impactful for him and the sport, noting that his time isn't necessarily short, but it's certainly not long:

"It's been a really good experience in some ways, but I think it's time now. I'm not- I'm still young-ish. I feel young, but I'm at a point in my career where I really just have to look after myself and really care about myself and think about myself. That's what I'm doing going forward. It's nice to knuckle down and feel like my game's in good shape."

He added that he's been "close" to doing some "really good things" in the sport lately. But McIlroy understands that the window is "very slowly closing" and he wants to continue to ensure he has the best career he possibly can.

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Rory McIlroy advises young golfers not to go to LIV Golf

Pro golfer Tom McKibbin is in line for his PGA Tour card after a brilliant season on the DP World Tour, but the Irishman is reportedly now leaning towards foregoing that and signing with LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy advised Tom McKibbin to avoid LIV (Image via Getty)

Rory McIlroy, who has been approached by LIV and has dealt with rumors of his defection as well, believes his fellow countryman is doing something he wouldn't do.

Via Golf.com, he said:

“I have known Tom [McKibbin] since he was 10 years old, 11 years old, and as soon as he got the offer, he rang me. We had a really good conversation. And I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to sort of get a feel for, you know, what he was thinking, and obviously what — you know, yeah, basically what he was going to do. And all I could do is give my perspective.”

All Rory McIlroy said was that if he were in McKibbin's shoes, he would choose the PGA Tour over LIV Golf. He cited access to the Majors and the Ryder Cup as reasons why LIV might not be the best choice in his estimation.