Rory McIlroy’s Mental Health Break Suffers Big Blow as Scottie Scheffler’s New Feat Rubs Salt in Raw Pinehurst Wounds

“I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game,” stated a disappointed Rory McIlroy after experiencing a gut-wrenching loss at the 2024 U.S. Open. He expressed the need to take a mental health break from golf to build himself up after sub-par gameplay at Pinehurst No. 2 cost him his 5th major title. However, it seems as if misfortune keeps piling up for the four-time Major winner. And this time, it’s all thanks to Scottie Scheffler who swings his way to the ESPYs, which McIlroy won in 2011.

Six wins, two runner-up positions, and a T3 placement, along with his other four top-10 finishes, have undoubtedly aided Scheffler cement his No. 1 spot on the OWGR. Nevertheless, it seems that his performance has only benefited him in this one area. What else, then? Well, the golfer received nominations for the 2024 ESPYS, rubbing much salt into McIlroy’s U.S. Open wound.

Scottie Scheffler one-ups Rory McIlroy, albeit unknowingly

ESPN, on Wednesday, announced their nominations for the 2024 ESPYs. The 28-year-old, as per the official PGA Tour announcement, received nominations for the categories of Best Athlete, Men’s Sports and Best Golfer. He wasn’t alone in being selected for the award, as the likes of Xander Schauffele, Nelly Korda, and Lilia Vu earned nominations for the Best Golfer award, too.

Such an honor for the 2024 Masters champ comes just two weeks after Rory McIlroy’s sudden decision to take a break from golf. In the 2024 U.S. Open, the Northern Irishman had been leading the scoreboard before missing his putts on the par-4, 16th and par-4, 18th. This proved costly for the 35-year-old, who lost the crown to Bryson DeChambeau. Well, that’s not all!

This led to McIlroy announcing his WD from the 2024 Travelers Championship while recounting his misfortune: “Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer. I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament… I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything.”

He did so while divulging his plans to take a break from participating in the upcoming events before defending his title at the Genesis Scottish Open in July. Interestingly, this wouldn’t be the first time the four-time major champion has taken a mental health break. After the 2023 Masters, where he missed the cut by 2 strokes, McIlroy withdrew from the RBC Heritage, which attracted quite some criticism. However, he explained why he needed to step away.

Speaking to the Golf Channel, Rory McIlroy said, “Obviously, after the disappointment of Augusta, and it’s been a pretty taxing 12 months mentally, so it was nice to just try to disconnect and get away from it. I think it was a combination of a few things, and just after the disappointment of Augusta and how I played there, it was more for my mental and emotional wellbeing I just needed to be at home for those few weeks.” 

While the pro is experiencing a hard time yet again, the news of Scheffler being selected for a category (Best Male Golfer) might sting Rory McIlroy. But even if the World No. 1 wins the award, there’s one achievement McIlroy will still have that Scheffler won’t. When the Northern Irishman won the Best Male Golfer award in 2011, he also won the ESPY for the Best Record-Breaking Performance, courtesy of his US Open victory.

At the major, he broke the tournament record for the lowest 72-hole score, both in total strokes (268) and in relation to par (−16). The previous records for both were 272 strokes (held by 4 players) and -12 (held by Tiger Woods), respectively. That said, this year’s ESPYs won’t be a first for Scottie Scheffler!

Scheffler’s triumph over McIlroy in 2023

Back in 2023, ESPN had combined both the Best Male Golfer and Best Female Golfer categories to form a single award. Interestingly, the current No. 1 golfer also earned it, thanks to his impressive season with 17 top-10 finishes and two victories. He could trump the likes of McIlroy, who placed 13 times inside the top 10 while clinching two victories.

Meanwhile, Scheffler desires to best the likes of NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, MLB multi-position star Shohei Ohtani, and NHL center Connor McDavid to clinch the Best Athlete, Men’s Sports award. If he does emerge triumphant in the category, the pro will be the first golfer after Tiger Woods in 2008 to win the prestigious award. His fans would surely be hoping for a victory!