Kevin Chappell played in more than 300 PGA Tour events and earned more than $17 million in career winnings, but the 39-year-old pro recently decided it was time to retire.
Chappelle’s best seasons were from 2013 to 2017, including his lone win at the 2017 Valero Texas Open, but he required back surgery in 2018, missed nearly all of the next season and returned during a strange stretch on tour after the coronavirus hit.
“Basically I didn’t play a lot of competitive golf for a year and a half, and I really struggled to find any form after that,” Chappelle said on this week’s Golf Subpar Podcast. “During that time, I started to grow as a person, I started to grow as a father, and priorities started to change. I realized that my work ethic was declining and my grades were declining.”
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Since back surgery, Chappell has made the cut in about half of his 90 starts but failed to finish in the top 10. Although oddly enough, it was one of his last starts that helped him make that decision.
In April this year, Chappell participated in the Zurich New Orleans Classic as a substitute and partnered with Tom Hogg. The pair were paired with Rory McCrory and Sean Lowry in the first two rounds.
“I’m watching Sean and Rory play, and I may not be Rory, but I’m definitely a top-30 player in the world, and I’m thinking, man, how much effort it’s going to take to get back out there and what I’m going to miss, I’m not sure it’s going to be worth it to me,” Chappell said. “So I was thinking about it all spring and into the summer. I took my family to Europe, played two DP World Tour events, and I thought that was it.”
Due to his limited status, Chappell played in 5 PGA Tour events and 6 Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025.
“I think my priorities have changed, observing the level [McIlroy and Lowry] “I play at the level and level I play at — I never play to get tee shots,” he said, “It’s always about competing, winning, and having a chance to win, and that takes a lot of hard work and I’m going to miss a lot of things that I don’t want to miss.”
You can listen to Chappell’s full interview here or watch it on YouTube above.
