Bryson DeChambeau is hoping for another head-to-head showdown with Rory McIlroy, this time at the PGA Championship this week.
The last time DeChambeau and McIlroy were paired in a final round – at April’s Masters – things were noticeably quiet.
In fact, DeChambeau claimed McIlroy didn’t say a word to him throughout their entire round together at Augusta National.
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“Didn’t talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau said during the Masters. “He wouldn’t talk to me. He was just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.”
McIlroy’s focus seemed to pay off. He went on to win the Masters after defeating Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off, finally securing the coveted green jacket and completing the career Grand Slam.
DeChambeau, meanwhile, finished tied for fifth after shooting a 3-over 75 in the final round.
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Addressing the incident during his press conference on Wednesday at Quail Hollow, McIlroy downplayed any personal tension with DeChambeau.
“I don’t know what he was expecting,” McIlroy said. “We’re trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to try to be his best mate out there.
“Look, everyone approaches the game [in] different ways. Yeah, like, I was focused on myself and what I needed to do. That’s really all that it was. It wasn’t anything against him. It’s just I felt that’s what I needed to do to try to get the best out of myself that day.”
McIlroy’s mental game was part of a deliberate strategy developed with sports psychologist Bob Rotella, who confirmed that silence and tunnel vision were part of their approach at Augusta.
“That didn’t have anything to do with Bryson,” Rotella said. “That was just the game plan all week, and we wanted to get lost in it. We didn’t want to pay attention to what anyone else was scoring or shooting or swinging or how far they were hitting it. We just wanted Rory to play his game.”
Looking ahead to this week’s major, both DeChambeau and McIlroy are strong contenders to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. Quail Hollow ranks among the longest courses on the PGA Tour and may play even longer due to soft conditions, which will favour the heavy hitters.
“I do believe you have to have a lot of distance out here,” DeChambeau said. “Rory is a great driver of the golf ball, and his iron play is great, too. I think it’s a golf course that sets up for his shot shapes pretty well, and I think it sets up well for mine, too.
“We’ll see. Maybe I do well, maybe I don’t. But I’m certainly going to give it my all, and I know Rory is. Hopefully, we can have another go at it again like the Masters.”
