Mcllory mental Health struggles affecting His Performance

**McIlroy Feeling the Strain as Mental and Physical Workload Mount**

Rory McIlroy is feeling the toll of a long season, worn out by the relentless grind of playing through the scorching American summer in hot spots like Memphis and Atlanta.

At East Lake Golf Club on Tuesday, McIlroy was more focused than usual, reacquainting himself with a course where he’s had significant success in the Tour Championship. The course, however, has undergone a complete redesign by architect Andrew Green, providing a challenge that McIlroy described as “more interesting” than previous editions of the FedEx Cup finale.

Despite showing signs of fatigue and eagerness for the season to end, McIlroy still has much to compete for, both this week and in the coming months. The Tour Championship represents his 22nd start of the year, and his season isn’t over yet. He still has six more tournaments scheduled in Europe, including the Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship, and the DP World Championship.

By most accounts, McIlroy’s 2024 season has been successful, with three victories at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Wells Fargo Championship, and Zurich Classic (where he partnered with Shane Lowry), along with five additional top-five finishes worldwide. However, his recent demeanor suggests otherwise.

At the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago, McIlroy seemed to mentally check out, finishing T68, just ahead of Max Homa. Last week, he pushed to finish strong at the BMW Championship in Colorado, placing T11, but even a frustrated toss of his driver into a lake didn’t spark much passion.

The reality is that McIlroy is simply tired, having endured 28 weeks of golf in a single calendar year—29, had he not withdrawn from the Travelers Championship for a mental health break post-U.S. Open.

His schedule, which evolved somewhat organically, ended up being more packed than anticipated. He added a return to PGA National during the Florida swing and opted to play the Valero Texas Open the week before the Masters. Additionally, he and Lowry teamed up for the New Orleans team event, and McIlroy committed to the Olympics. He’s also returning to St. Andrews for the Dunhill Links to celebrate his father Gerry’s 65th birthday on the Old Course.

“It’s a lot,” McIlroy admitted during Tuesday’s practice round at East Lake, his exhaustion evident as he dramatically slumped his body to illustrate his fatigue. “It just sort of added up.”

On top of his physical tiredness, McIlroy is mentally drained from another missed opportunity to end his 10-year major drought. His struggles were particularly evident at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where he bogeyed three of the last four holes, losing by a single shot to Bryson DeChambeau. Afterward, he drove away without a word and has since kept his public comments to a minimum, skipping many formal interviews before and after tournaments, including this week at East Lake.

A lot of this reticence stems from his fatigue—both physically and from the repeated questioning. Despite being ranked No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, McIlroy feels distant from the top two players, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who together claimed three majors, the Players Championship, and an Olympic gold medal this year. Scheffler and Schauffele are also the favorites to battle for the FedEx Cup and PGA Tour Player of the Year honors.

McIlroy, the only three-time FedEx Cup champion, usually finds himself in the heart of this conversation, but he will start this week tied for sixth at 4-under, six shots behind Scheffler and four behind Schauffele in the staggered starting-stroke system.

East Lake has historically been a comfortable venue for McIlroy, with three wins in the last decade. However, the field faces a different course this year, as every hole and green complex has been redesigned, presenting a fresh challenge.

McIlroy, after playing 18 holes on Tuesday with Matthieu Pavon, was pleased with the changes. “I like it; I like what Andrew does,” McIlroy said, likening the work to renovations at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., and Congressional near Washington, D.C., where he won the 2011 U.S. Open. “I think he’s done a good job with it.”