McIlroy’s Miss and Scheffler’s Arrest Take Center Stage in Full Swing’s Comeback. Even though Rory McIlroy didn’t manage to add another major to his tally last year, he still takes center stage in the third season of Netflix’s Full Swing docu-series, which has just landed on the streaming platform.
This series is basically golf’s answer to Drive to Survive, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the sport.
Initially, McIlroy wasn’t too keen on being involved. In the first season, which followed the 2022 golf season, he only made a brief appearance. But this time around, it looks like Netflix cameras were shadowing him for much of 2024. He even admits, “Sometimes I struggle with the balance of being the best golfer, the best husband, or the best dad.”
It’s an honest confession, though the series doesn’t go too deep into it. Still, watching the 35-year-old navigate the highs and lows of the past year provides plenty of drama.
His strong friendship with 2019 Open champ Shane Lowry is a big focus, with the cameras capturing their victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. There’s even a lighthearted moment where McIlroy jokes about eating with just a fork “like an American.”
That episode sets the stage for the US PGA Championship, where two bombshell events unfolded McIlroy filing for divorce from his wife, Erica, and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler getting arrested on his way to the course.
Scheffler, who isn’t as open with the Full Swing crew, still ends up in one of the season’s most jaw-dropping moments. The show manages to get hold of police body cam footage from his shocking early-morning arrest.
It was the most surreal scene of the 2024 golf season, though the charges were dropped within two weeks. “Are you guys aware that I am playing in the golf tournament?” Scheffler asked as officers shoved him into a police car.
McIlroy also allows Netflix access at the majors, sitting down for a lengthy interview to recap the year’s biggest storylines. But after losing the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst in June, he shuts the cameras out.
At that point, he had reunited with Erica, and while he shares that he was happy about that, it’s clear the loss still stings. He openly blames his short missed putt on the 16th hole for letting DeChambeau back in, calling it “the hardest finish of his career.”
He left Pinehurst without speaking to reporters, explaining in the show, “I think I did everyone a favor.”
As with previous seasons, voices like Amanda Balionis, Dan Rapaport, Dylan Dethier, and Henni Zuel provide commentary, though their insights feel a bit surface-level. Hardcore golf fans know these analysts have deeper knowledge than what they get to show here.
New to the mix is influencer Paige Spiranac, who weighs in on how DeChambeau has transformed himself into a fan favorite. The series does a good job of explaining his reinvention from a polarizing figure to one of the most entertaining players in the sport.
That said, if you closely follow pro golf, there aren’t many groundbreaking revelations here. But then again, that’s not the point. Full Swing is designed to bring in casual sports fans, much like Drive to Survive did for Formula 1 and in that sense, it works.
We also get a fun glimpse of big-name golfers on the set of Happy Gilmore 2, and there’s an engaging feature on Ludvig Åberg’s Masters debut, where he finished as runner-up.
If the young Swede keeps up his rise especially after his recent win at Torrey Pines he’ll gain even more fans in his hunt for a first major. And if that happens, the series will have done its job.
McIlroy, of course, doesn’t need that kind of exposure. But his central role in Full Swing’s third season shows just how important he still is in growing the game’s popularity.
