“It” is the stress, pressure and mental toll that is often forgotten, or overlooked, for those at the top of the game.

For the men, the constant bickering, rumours and eventual merger, of the LIV Golf-PGA Tour feud has turned previously almost universally loved golfers into public enemy No.1 for certain sections.

Look no further than two of the chief protagonists on either side for prime examples.

There is no defending Phil Mickelson’s comments about his now employers to writer Alan Shipnuck that he claims were off the record, yet the resulting fallout caused a man over 50 years of age, so used to public scrutiny and even controversy, to step away citing a build-up of stress.

“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level. I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away …” Mickelson said last year.

Last week, Rory McIlroy nearly broke his almost nine-year major championship win drought at the U.S Open.

Rory has become a constant target for scorn from LIV Golf fans for his role as the established Tours spokesperson. His result last week again earning derision and deluded accusations relating to an embedded ball drop during the final round.

Like Phil, Rory no doubt regrets some of his words during golf’s civil war, and similarly took a break this year for “mental and emotional wellbeing”. Areas that have been part of the story for this week’s defending champion, In Gee Chun.

"A fact that is worth keeping in mind, and hopefully when highlighted by those who bravely discuss it like Chun, one that encourages everyone to be a little kinder." 

In a The Golf Channel video, Chun details her own story of taking medication for depression and her struggles having burst onto the scene with a major win at the 2015 U.S Open. One she added to at the 2016 Evian Championship.

Having taken up the game at 11, then deciding a pro career was her dream as teen after her parents were forced to close their restaurant, Chun went through a lean patch after Evian.

One win in Korea came in 2018, but having been elevated to superstar status at home, constant scrutiny and pressure came with it.

The now 28-year-old experiencing anxiety and depression, feelings all too familiar for so many players at the top of the game.

McIlroy struggled back in 2013 when he was at the top of the game, so too did the women’s World No.1 of the time Yani Tseng who spoke of not having fun on the golf course.

Pressure, attention and so much more is to be expected when you are at the top of any field, and some will say it is part of the gig as an elite professional golfer.

However, it is important to remember, these are people who love the same game we do that showed exceptional talent at a young age, likely without any knowledge of ancillary things beyond playing golf when committing to their dream of becoming a pro.

Like everyone, there are things under the surface for each and every pro that we don’t know of, coupled with the attention, pressure and scrutiny of being in the public eye.

A fact that is worth keeping in mind, and hopefully when highlighted by those who bravely discuss it like Chun, one that encourages everyone to be a little kinder.