Golf is as much a mental sport as it is physical. The pressure of going winless for years can take a toll on you, and more so when you are giving it your all. The pressure that golfers feel on the green when they are close to the sweet taste of victory is truly unimaginable. Notably, golfers are now openly sharing about the impact of mental pressure, and Lexi Thompson and Rory McIlroy are two recent ones who have opened up about their struggles.

Lexi Thompson, who is playing her last professional season, recently expressed her thoughts on the mental stress and criticism that golfers face, particularly about Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open experience. In a recent interview with Golf.com, when asked about what she thought of the criticism the 4x major winner faced, Thompson said, “Yeah. It’s brutal. I didn’t get to watch that live, but I heard about it, and then that’s all my social was.

If you have forgotten about the gut-wrenching loss that the Northern Irishman went through at Pinehurst, let us remind you that he missed a 3-foot putt on the 18th, and ended up bogeying his hole, rather than carding a birdie. This cost him a playoff and made him lose the Silver Cup by 1 stroke. As a result, Rory McIlroy took a tough beating from critics after his gut-wrenching loss at the U.S. Open.

People were quick to point fingers at his caddie, Harry Diamond. According to the critics, he didn’t communicate well and made some poor club choices. What agitated people more was that McIlroy didn’t congratulate the winner, Bryson DeChambeau, and went to the airport straight after the winner made the putt. Anyone would have felt bad in this situation, and hence, Thompson couldn’t believe the criticism directed at Rory McIlroy. She said, “And I’m like, Are you serious? This guy is one of the best in the world. And to focus on these two putts? Give the guy a break.”

Thompson knows a thing or two about the mental struggles of being on the greens. After all, she decided to retire from the sport she loves because the pressure and scrutiny became too much to handle. In a heartfelt letter, she shared how the constant attention and criticism since she was 12 years old took a toll on her mental health. “It can be exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside”, said the golfer. Hence, one can truly say that golf does come with its own mental challenges. The loss was so harsh for the Irish golfer that he decided to take some time to heal mentally.

Rory McIlroy talked about his major loss

This was the second time in a row that he had finished T2 at the US Open. That has got to sting hard, for sure. The pressure to perform at the highest level can be overwhelming, and the fans were extremely sad to see their favorite golfer bummed. He himself was bummed, and it indeed took a toll on his mental health, as he took some time off the greens after the Pinehurst heartbreak, and missed the Travelers Championship.

“I feel like it’s totally consumed my life for the last 12 months. It’s been a pretty tumultuous time, and being in the position that I’m in, it’s taken up a lot of my time,”  the golfer shared on X. The golfer further described the event as the toughest loss of his career.

However, McIlroy managed to bounce back from his heartbreak and took the T9 position at the Tour Championship with a fat check of $1,608,333, which ultimately made him the fourth golfer to earn the most money in the 2024 season.