The postscript to Rory McIlroy’s Masters masterpiece is being more and more dominated by questions over whether or not he has an actual, simmering feud with Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau’s uncooked divulge to reporters after the ultimate spherical that McIlroy “didn’t say a phrase” to him on the day sparked frenzied hypothesis over whether or not there was something extra to the blanking exterior of the Northern Irishman’s focus.
And whereas the early consensus was that it was little greater than McIlroy locking in — one thing which his sports activities psychologist Bob Rotella has since backed up — extra proof is constructing that hints in the direction of a minimum of some degree of disharmony between the pair.
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One clip that’s been going viral since Sunday reveals McIlroy and DeChambeau on the vary collectively at Shadow Creek, trash-talking earlier than their match play occasion in December.
Within the video, McIlroy tells onlookers that he’d “wish to get one again for what he did to me on the US Open”.
DeChambeau brutally replies, “nicely, to be honest, you form of did it to your self”, referencing how McIlroy missed two brief putts within the closing holes of the 2024 US Open to lose the foremost to the American.
The video went forgotten however re-emerged after the Masters the place DeChambeau — who faltered within the closing pairing with McIlory — appeared genuinely irritated by the shortage of on-course interplay.
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The Telegraph’s Tom Cary wrote that it’s understood by the publication that DeChambeau’s December dig at McIlroy has caught with the five-time main winner, who deemed it “merciless and pointless”.
In the meantime, one other historic interplay by the pair has resurfaced in a brand new mild, including to the hypothesis.
Talking on The Loop podcast, Golf Digest’s Stephen Hennessey recalled a time talking to DeChambeau about his experiences filming Completely satisfied Gilmore 2, by which he options together with McIlroy.
He famous how DeChambeau tried to have interaction with McIlroy in his typical playful vogue nevertheless it “didn’t actually land” with McIlroy.
Golf Digest author Christopher Powers added that whereas a full-blown feud appears unlikely, “there’s a little one thing there between these two”.
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A big half of what’s driving the hypothesis is that McIlroy and DeChambeau are polar opposites in some ways.
DeChambeau was one of many key PGA Tour defectors to LIV Golf, one thing which McIlroy overtly detested as one of the vital outspoken critics of the Saudi-backed breakaway.
McIlroy can be thought-about a {golfing} traditionalist whereas DeChambeau, when not taking part in tournaments, is producing content material for subscribers of his ever-expanding YouTube channel.
DeChambeau is American and McIlroy from the UK — one thing which proves to be extra consequential come Ryder Cup time when passions are working excessive.
Most pertinent now, nonetheless, is that DeChambeau likes to work together with the gang and his taking part in accomplice throughout rounds to remain unfastened, whereas McIlroy doesn’t.
Robert ‘Crash’ Craddock believes it’s a distinction which went an extended solution to serving to McIlroy clinch is maiden inexperienced jacket.
“I reckon silence is golden, I reckon that intimated DeChambeau. I reckon it gained him the event,” he mentioned on The Again Web page.
Talking about DeChambeau’s irritation, he added: “That was the most effective and most revealing footage post-Masters as a result of it confirmed what this was.
“It was the LIV poster boy towards the PGA poster boy. The 2 greatest hitters within the sport, it was America vs Nice Britain. It was two blokes that simply don’t actually like one another and it was fabulous.”
In making a notice of McIlory’s silence, DeChambeau ensured that one of many greatest post-Masters speaking factors could be his relationship with the event’s new champion.
Whereas the spectacular nature by which McIlroy gained would be the most enduring reminiscence of the event, golf’s speedy future is dominated by what was solely a sideshow on the day.
As such, DeChambeau has come under-fire for making some extent at what has been deemed an inappropriate time.
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“I assumed that was actually weak of Bryson to deliver that up,” golf creator Alan Shipnuck mentioned on Dan on Golf. “That is the best second of Rory’s {golfing} life and Bryson made all of it about him and his little tender emotions.
“Like, who cares if he didn’t discuss to you? This was Masters Sunday and Rory already mentioned the evening earlier than he was going to be in his little bubble.”
Present host Dan Rapaport agreed, and pointed to DeChambeau and McIlory’s variations that will’ve made dialog troublesome anyway.
“What are they going to speak about? What’s Rory going to say?” he mentioned.
“Like, ‘so, how’s the YouTube channel going?’ Rory has mentioned he doesn’t watch YouTube golf. He can’t say ‘how are the children’, he (DeChambeau) doesn’t have youngsters.
“They don’t have anything in frequent in addition to they’re each actually good at swinging sticks.”
The Loop host Alex Myers lamented how large a narrative it had change into, noting that it might be “one of many greatest of the yr”.
As such, he echoed related sentiments from Shipnuck that DeChambeau merely mentioned the mistaken factor on the mistaken time.
“I really like Bryson — I nearly want he hadn’t (mentioned it). Particularly the best way he mentioned it, it sounded a minimum of form of like he was upset about it,” Myers mentioned.
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“He ought to’ve recognized higher. I feel he shouldn’t have even mentioned it to be sincere.
“As an alternative it turned an enormous story. It doesn’t appear to be taking Rory’s shine a minimum of, however I feel it’s such a golfy factor that it’s change into such an enormous deal.”
Hypothesis will proceed, however McIlory’s sports activities psychologist on Tuesday tried to defuse the scenario.
Talking with the BBC, he mentioned that McIlroy’s silence had “nothing to do with” DeChambeau, however was as a substitute a part of a sport plan that was hatched earlier within the week.
“That was simply the sport plan all week and we wished to get misplaced in it,” Rotella mentioned.
“We didn’t need to take note of what anybody else was scoring, or capturing, or swinging or how far they have been hitting it.
“We simply wished Rory to play his sport.”