Scott Van Pelt Questions Rory McIlroy's Behavior Amid Media Feud

This has all led to ESPN's Scott Van Pelt publicly questioning what in the world is going on with McIlroy, and why it seems like he's mad at everyone and everything. 

“I’m just baffled by what happened, like what’s going on?” Van Pelt said on his SVP Pod with Stanford Steve. “People are going to speculate about his life. I will not do that. The man’s life is his own business. He mentioned after yesterday, like, ‘I climbed my Everest, and I’m trying to come down the mountain.’ And I get that. I, in my life, haven’t ever, nor will I ever have a monumental accomplishment such as that — finishing off the career Grand Slam. I don’t know what comes afterward. You wonder, is it like, ‘I don’t have anything to chase. I don’t have a hill to climb.’ But that doesn’t, to me, explain just the fact that his resting posture seems pissed off at everyone. And I’m just baffled by it."

This past week at the U.S. Open, McIlroy went as far as to admit that he was indifferent about making the cut on Friday, feeling unsure if he wanted to play two more rounds over the weekend. 

Over the past couple of years, McIlroy has grown to be one of the biggest names in the sport, and one of the best ambassadors as well. That has taken a turn over the past few months, though, and it's noticeable. 

"To me, he is such a leader of a tour, has been incredibly accountable, more than anybody," Van Pelt said. "And maybe he just reached the point where he’s like, ‘You know what? I’m (expletive) done. I’ve done this forever, and now I feel like I’ve reached a point where I get to do whatever I want.’ Saying the quiet part out loud like that makes people go, ‘Oh, really? Well, that’s an interesting way to frame it.’ He just seems like he’s mad at everything and everybody. And that’s the part I don’t quite get.”

Ultimately, McIlroy gets to be mad at everyone and everything if he chooses to. The PGA Tour does not require post-round media availability for the players, so if he doesn't want to talk, then nobody is going to make him. 

It is an interesting study of what happens to a player after he achieves his biggest goal, though, and the fallout of being in the public eye while trying to determine what mountain to try and climb next.