Bryson DeChambeau admitted that he “wanted to cry” for Rory McIlroy as his approach on the 13th hole of Sunday’s Masters final found its way into Rae’s Creek. McIlroy ultimately put for a double bogey and slowly lost his lead in the tournament. However, a 17th failure at Augusta wasn’t in the script for the 35-year-old, who etched his name into the annals of history as the sixth male to achieve a career Grand Slam after a tense play-off on the 18th with Justin Rose.
DeChambeau, who played alongside McIlroy in the final pairing, disclosed that there was no dialogue between them throughout the round. It comes 10 months after DeChambeau narrowly defeated McIlroy to secure his second US Open title at Pinehurst. Despite almost squandering a five-shot lead, McIlroy scored a birdie to Rose’s par in the play-off to clinch his coveted Green Jacket.
When asked about McIlroy’s state of mind after the final round, DeChambeau said: “No idea. Didn’t talk to me once all day.” Further pressed by journalists if he attempted to engage with McIlroy during the game, he simply said: “He wouldn’t talk to me.” Nevertheless, DeChambeau couldn’t help but sympathise with McIlroy’s misfortune on the 13th, saying: “I wanted to cry for him.”
He added: “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, 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.” DeChambeau headed into Sunday’s final in second, just two strokes behind McIlroy with a score of ten-under-par. However, the LIV Golf titan crumbled under pressure as the day advanced – ending his tournament at T5 alongside Im Sung-jae.