It may be tough to top the infamous “car park dust-up” at Marco Simone in 2023, but the buildup to this autumn’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is heating up fast. And with Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, we might already have the main event.
McIlroy’s dramatic Masters triumph on Sunday delivered one of the most uplifting moments in recent golf history, prompting an outpouring of admiration. Almost universal admiration, that is.
When asked about how McIlroy held up during one of the most pressure-filled final rounds ever, DeChambeau—his Sunday playing partner—offered a surprisingly sharp response.
“No idea,” the American shrugged. “Didn’t talk to me once all day.”
Asked to expand on the atmosphere, DeChambeau added: “Electric. I loved it. But he [McIlroy] was just like… just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.”
Unsurprisingly, DeChambeau’s remarks dominated headlines in Monday’s post-tournament analysis.
To be fair, he made the comments immediately after finishing his round—before McIlroy had officially secured victory in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose—and likely while still grappling with his own three-over 75 that dropped him into a tie for fifth place.
DeChambeau did later extend an olive branch, taking to social media to praise McIlroy’s career grand slam as an “incredible achievement,” and added:
“He deserved to get this one”. But by then the damage was done.
The reality is, Modesto native Bryson DeChambeau was clearly trying to send a message on Sunday night. He could have easily deflected, saying McIlroy was just focused or preferred to keep quiet between shots—but instead, he deliberately drew attention to the moment.
The only remark he made about McIlroy’s play zeroed in on the 35-year-old’s misstep at the 13th hole, when McIlroy found Rae’s Creek and carded a double bogey.
“I wanted to cry for him,” DeChambeau said. “I mean, as a professional, you just know to hit it in the middle of the green, and I can’t believe he went for it, or must have just flared it. But I’ve hit bad shots in my career, too, and it happens. When you’re trying to win a major championship, especially out here, Sunday of Augusta at the Masters, you have to just do it and get the job done and do it right. 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.”
It may not be Ali vs. Frazier, but there’s a growing sense in the golf world that—despite their public denials—tension exists between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, the prominent faces of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, respectively. They’re polar opposites both on and off the course. Whether that tension eases now that McIlroy has finally broken his major drought remains to be seen.
The friction seems rooted in their showdown at Pinehurst during last summer’s U.S. Open. McIlroy’s heartbreaking stumble in the final holes cleared the path for DeChambeau’s second major win. McIlroy’s quick departure—skipping both the media and any post-round congratulations—reportedly caught DeChambeau off guard.
Like DeChambeau did after this year’s Masters, McIlroy eventually offered public praise, calling DeChambeau a “worthy champion” and saying he was “exactly what professional golf needs right now.”
But things reportedly cooled even further after their December face-off in Las Vegas during the Showdown event—Team PGA vs. Team LIV—where McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler battled DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka at Shadow Creek. Leading up to the match, the pair shared some lighthearted banter, but behind the smiles, the tension lingered.
“I’d like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the US Open,” McIlroy said while on the range alongside DeChambeau.
“Well, to be fair, you kinda did it to yourself,” DeChambeau quipped, a retort that stung McIlroy and one that is understood to have stuck with him, having been deemed cruel and unnecessary. It did not take long on Monday for video clips of that particular exchange to be shared online.
Whether Rory McIlroy was genuinely irritated or simply uninterested, one thing was clear during Sunday’s final round—he wanted no interaction with Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau, on the other hand, seemed to be playing psychological games before the first tee shot. Observers noted how he began his warm-up on one end of the range, then gradually migrated closer to McIlroy, ultimately occupying a spot just three bays away—despite the fact that most of the range had already cleared out.
If intentional, it’s exactly the sort of behavior that could irk McIlroy, who holds etiquette in high regard. Back at the 2023 Ryder Cup, he famously lost his cool when American caddie Joe LaCava celebrated a putt too close for comfort, prompting McIlroy to confront him in the parking lot—requiring Shane Lowry to step in and calm him down.
At this year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, don’t be surprised if McIlroy arrives with a sharper focus—and perhaps a score to settle. Bison-hunting season might just be open.
