Rory McIlroy’s 5 phrases on Bryson DeChambeau says all of it after Masters snub
Bryson DeChambeau gave an insight into his lack of communication with golf rival Rory McIlroy during the epic final round of the Masters and the Northern Irishman had his say
Bryson DeChambeau has spilled the beans on the frosty atmosphere during his final Masters round with Rory McIlroy.
As tension mounted in an edge-of-your-seat 18-holes which concluded with McIlroy pipping Justin Rose to the post for the coveted green jacket after a tiebreaker, DeChambeau revealed not a word was said between them. The summit clash saw both golfers on a tumultuous journey, swapping luck like cards.
Early into the game, DeChambeau leapfrogged the Northern Irish hero in just two holes, but his lead crumbled soon after. He found himself navigating through troubled waters as bogeys on the third and fourth, a double at the 11th, plus another setback at 12, knocked him off-balance.
His brief comeback with birdies at 14 and 16 proved futile; Rose had already sealed his fate with a solid 11-under. In the dramatic moments when McIlroy, one stroke ahead at 12-under following an impressive birdie at 17, fumbled the final hole thus forcing the playoff, both he and DeChambeau strode towards the scorer’s hut still enveloped in silence, reports the Mirror.
When quizzed by Mirror Sport US about any exchanges post-match and his emotions, DeChambeau shot back a terse reply. “No idea,” he retorted. “Didn’t talk to me once all day.”
When queried about whether DeChambeau tried to strike up a conversation during their round, McIlroy’s response was blunt: “He wouldn’t talk to me.”
The Northern Irishman’s razor-sharp focus was evident; he was in no mood for chatter on the course, laser-focused on the task at hand.
DeChambeau couldn’t help but feel a pang of compassion for McIlroy after a particularly tough break on the 13th, where his cautious approach ended with his ball in Rae’s Creek. “I wanted to cry for him,” confessed the American golfer, acknowledging the sting of bad luck and the intense pressure of trying to clinch a Major on Augusta’s unforgiving greens on a Sunday.
The ups and downs were palpable as DeChambeau reflected: “There were times where it looked like he had full control and at times where it’s like, what’s going on. Kind of looked like one of my rounds, actually.”
Assessing his own game, DeChambeau pinpointed his experience on the third green as particularly challenging. “What’s crazy is the third hole,” he said – before expressing his astonishment at the unforeseen speed of the putt that greeted him there.
“Hit it up there to 20 feet, I’m like, okay, that’s exactly the way I wanted to play the hole, and that putt, I’ve never seen a putt faster than that. Those greens got really fast. The agronomists here at Augusta National and the Masters, they know how to play complete tricks on you.
“I thought for no valid reason it went nine feet by. There’s no way that putt goes that far by. I just didn’t realize how firm and fast it could get out here. It’s great experience. Won’t let that happen again.”
