“Somebody told Rory McIlroy I retired on DP World”: Pro golfer shares his reaction to rumors, jokingly accuses the former of wanting him to retire

Soren Kjeldsen recently addressed comments made by Rory McIlroy regarding his potential retirement. The Danish golfer, who has played on the European Tour and won four events on the circuit, is competing in the PGA Tour Champions Q-School Final Stage this week. After three impressive rounds, Kjeldsen has taken the lead and is on the verge of securing his PGA Tour Champions card for the 2025 season.

Following the third round, Kjeldsen shared a story about how earlier this year, during the time he was playing in the first stage of Q-School, someone mentioned his possible retirement to Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irish golfer promptly agreed, saying that it might be time for the 49-year-old to step away from the game. Reflecting on this, Kjeldsen said:

"I was laughing the other day because Rory (McIlroy) was you know, Somebody told Rory that I'd finished on DP World Tour and Rory said like, 'It's about time that he puts his feet up and relax.' and you know at the time, I was in Mississippi grinding away at the first stage. So, yeah, it's still super important for me. You know, I'd love to play on this tour, so yeah, its a big thing.

Soren Kjeldsen has had an excellent run this week as he is just one round away from earning his PGA Tour Champions card. He began the final stage of the 2025 PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament with a spectacular 64 on December 3, followed by rounds of 65 and 65. He took a three-shot lead heading into the final round. The event concludes on December 6.

Soren Kjeldsen has been playing professionally since 1995 and has won six professional tournaments in his career so far.

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Is Rory McIlroy playing this week?

While Soren Kjeldsen is vying for a spot on the PGA Tour Champions, Rory McIlroy is taking a break from competitive golf and won't be teeing it off this week. This week, some of the PGA Tour’s top-ranked players are participating in Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event that began on December 5 in Albany. The tournament features players such as Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and Patrick Cantlay. However, McIlroy is not playing this week.

Rory McIlroy last competed at the DP World Tour Championship, where he secured a victory with rounds of 67, 69, 68, and 69. The Northern Irishman has had an impressive season in 2024, performing well on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.

He won two European Tour events and two PGA Tour tournaments this year. On the European Tour, he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the year and the DP World Tour Championship in November 2024. On the American circuit, he won the Wells Fargo Championship and the Zurich Classic.