Bankrate: Are you having more or less fun golfing now?

Irwin: It changes a lot, simply because when I was younger, this is all I did. There wasn't golf design. Rather than grandkids, I just had kids. The intensity level was a little higher, the focus was a little different, the funnel was tighter, and as you grow -- I won't say it's the same old stuff, but I've been here and done that. I'm looking for other things to do. I guess I'm enjoying the other people around the tour with whom I associate more than I ever have because I believe in the adage: You never learn anything when you're talking, you learn when you listen. That's what I try to do around the tour; I try to listen to people. It's not always the smartest thing to talk.

Bankrate: How would you rate the competitive level of the Champions Tour?

Irwin: Oh, when you bring out the Fred Funks, the Nick Prices, the Mark O'Mearas, etc., etc., it is a very dynamic place in which to play. These guys have now reached an age where they still love to compete. They may not have the financial drive they once did, but they love that competition, and that's what we all go for. Lee Trevino, Arnie and Jack and those great players, golf is always in their heart. You may not like playing badly, you may not like having to prepare for tournaments, but you know what? You can't ever disassociate yourself from what has been so good to you. You may walk away from it and say hey, I don't look back, but you'll never extinguish that little bit of a flicker of a flame in your heart.