Locked-In McIlroy Snubs DeChambeau During Masters Showdown: “He Wouldn’t Talk to Me”

In an electrifying final round at Augusta National, newly crowned Masters champion Rory McIlroy kept his focus razor-sharp—so much so that Bryson DeChambeau, his playing partner and rival, claimed he was completely iced out on the course.

The high-stakes pairing had fans buzzing as McIlroy and DeChambeau teed off side by side, each eyeing the coveted Green Jacket. But the anticipated drama quickly lost its edge for the American LIV Golf star as McIlroy pulled ahead, ultimately ending his Masters drought. Meanwhile, DeChambeau faded into a tie for fifth at seven-under.

Yet what drew almost as much attention as the scoreboard was the silence between the two competitors.

“No idea. [McIlroy] didn’t talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau told reporters, visibly bewildered by the Northern Irishman’s steely silence. “He wouldn’t talk to me,” he emphasized when asked again.

The cool tension comes less than a year after their heated battle at the U.S. Open, where DeChambeau snatched victory from McIlroy, who suffered a late-round collapse, bogeying three of his last five holes. McIlroy left the course abruptly that day and took a brief hiatus from competition.

Fast forward to Augusta, and it’s clear McIlroy came with unfinished business—and this time, he wasn’t letting DeChambeau into his head.

In a behind-the-scenes clip that surfaced on social media, McIlroy was overheard telling reporters, “I’d like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the US Open,” while standing beside DeChambeau.

Without missing a beat, DeChambeau fired back: “To be fair, you kind of did it to yourself.”
The sharp exchange drew laughter from bystanders, revealing the simmering rivalry between two of golf’s biggest personalities.

While DeChambeau embraced the Augusta crowd—slapping hands and enjoying the electric atmosphere—McIlroy stayed locked in, maintaining what he called his “bubble.”

“He was just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though,” DeChambeau said when asked about McIlroy’s apparent cold shoulder.

However, not everyone is convinced the silence was as frosty as DeChambeau described. Sports podcaster Adam Hoge challenged the claim, writing on social media:

“I watched literally every shot of their round. Rory shook Bryson’s hand and told him to play well on the 1st tee. They also spoke multiple times on the greens about their ball markers. Carry on.”

DeChambeau’s performance Sunday unraveled early, starting with a costly three-putt bogey on the third hole, followed by more miscues on holes 4, 11, and 17. A double bogey at the 11th—after his approach shot found water—proved to be the turning point.

“I just tried to hit a draw in there, and it started five degrees left… I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said, still stunned.

Despite a stellar week capped by a memorable 40-foot birdie on Saturday, DeChambeau couldn’t summon the consistency needed on Sunday. McIlroy, laser-focused and undistracted, seized the moment to earn his long-awaited Green Jacket.

Whether McIlroy’s silence was strategic or simply part of his focused game-day mentality, one thing is clear: he got the revenge he wanted—and he did it on his own terms.