Irish veteran explains Rory McIlroy’s major ‘scar tissue’ problem: “We saw it with Xander Schauffele”

Irish veteran Paul McGinley has explained why Rory McIlroy can win the upcoming US Open. McIlroy won his last Major in 2014 and has since been looking to add another Major title to his accolades. Although he has been phenomenal in regular PGA and European Tour events, McIlroy has had a decade-long Major drought.

However, he feels the "element of doubt" due to high "expectations" on his shoulders might be one of the reasons for his unsuccessful outings at Majors. Speaking of McIlroy, McGinley said (via Irish Independent):

“He is by far, in my opinion, the best player in the modern era and by no means is he mentally weak. But there is an element of doubt that’s crept in, that’s been validated by 10 years of not succeeding in Major championships. "

The Irish veteran compared it to Xander Schauffele's long run before he won his maiden Major at last month's PGA Championship. The American turned pro in 2015 and has been exemplary on the PGA Tour, ranking within the top 5 in the world, but it still took him years to win his first Major.

"He knows that. We all know it. We saw it with Xander Schauffele. We saw the weight of expectation on his shoulders, we saw the pressure," McGinley added.

McGinley further added that only a Major could be a "scar tissue" for the golfer. He said:

“You know, golf is a game of doubt. You have to live and deal with doubt, and there’s no doubt Rory McIlroy has got that scar tissue in Major championships; he doesn’t have it when he gets to Wells Fargo and the boys are around him; it’s different. That doubt doesn’t scream the way it screams in Majors."

Rory McIlroy won four Majors in his career, with the first one coming in 2011 at the US Open. He won the PGA Championship twice, in 2012 and 2014, and The Open Championship in 2014.

He has won 40 professional events so far, 26 of them on the PGA Tour. This year, he won two tournaments on the PGA Tour and one on the European Tour.

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Rory McIlroy's odds to win 2024 US Open

Rory McIlroy has a favorable chance to win the 2024 US Open with odds of 11/1, according to Golf Week. He has finished within the top 10 in his last five outings at the Major and has also performed decently at this year's other Majors.

He tied for ninth place at the US Open in 2019, T8 in 2020, T7 in 2021, T5 in 2022, and second in 2023. Earlier this year, McIlroy tied for 22nd place at the Masters and T12 at the 2024 PGA Championship. McIlroy has played in 12 events this year, winning two of them. He did not miss any cuts and has achieved four top-10 finishes.

The 2024 US Open is scheduled to take place at the Pinehurst No. 2 golf course from June 13 to 16.