Scott Van Pelt Puzzled By Rory McIlroy’s Recent Behavior: ‘He’s Mad At Everything’

Scott Van Pelt is baffled by Rory McIlroy’s recent behavior, including his perplexing comments during the 2025 U.S. Open.

Scott Van Pelt Comments On Rory McIlroy’s Strange Few Weeks

Since the LIV Tour’s inception, the golfer who stood up for the PGA Tour and became its new face is McIlroy. The 36-year-old constantly defended the PGA Tour in the media, and his decision to stay helped lead to significant changes, including elevated events and more prize money.

McIlroy achieved his dream earlier this year when he won the Masters, completing the career grand slam and winning the iconic green jacket.

It’s been all downhill for McIlroy in the public eye since the Masters.

McIlroy skipped all four media sessions at last month’s PGA Championship. McIlroy then declined most of his media availability at the U.S. Open before speaking to reporters on Saturday.

When a reporter asked the reason for skipping his press conferences, McIlroy said his aggravation stems from the media, not his game.

“No, not really. It’s more a frustration with you guys,” McIlroy said via Golf.com. Part of McIlroy’s frustration stems from the leaked driver test at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy is not acting like someone who just achieved his dream. This bitterness has one of golf’s leading broadcasters confused as to what happened.

“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.”

Van Pelt called McIlroy one of the faces of the tour, making this heel turn even more strange.

“To me, he is such a leader of a tour, has been incredibly accountable, more than anybody,” McIlroy explained. “And maybe he just reached the point where he’s like, ‘You know what? I’m f—ing 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.”

Scott Van Pelt On Rory Skipping Jack Nicklaus’ Tournament

"I'm a big Rory fan, always have been, and I'm sure I'll remain that way."

Jack Nicklaus notes his surprise with Rory McIlroy's absence this week at #theMemorial. pic.twitter.com/1tgXeX3RvB

— Regan Holgate (@HolgateRegan) May 27, 2025

Earlier this month, McIlroy skipped out on The Memorial Tournament, one of the PGA Tour’s elevated events hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus.

McIlroy did not inform Nicklaus that he was skipping the event. Remember that Nicklaus met with McIlroy before the 2025 Masters to speak about the golf course and give the Northern Irishman any guidance he had to win at Augusta.

Van Pelt didn’t like what McIlroy did to Nicklaus.

“Not for nothing, the whole LIV thing led to these elevated events,” Van Pelt explained. “And then, Jack has an elevated event, and [Rory] doesn’t go, and he didn’t call him. Like, after he sat down with him, and they brainstormed how to win Augusta. Like, you don’t call Jack? At least that’s the report I got. That’s just, that’s poor form, is what that is.”

Van Pelt won’t speculate on the source of McIlroy’s frustration, but he finds his recent actions “odd.”