None of us will truly know what it’s like to play in the final pairing of the final round of the Masters.
We can guess, and how a person performs or comports themselves is for others to judge.
When Bryson DeChambeau answered a question in his Sunday scrum with reporters about McIlroy’s demeanor, he answered the questions honestly.
So, when DeChambeau was asked if McIlroy talked much during the round, DeChambeau said no. Suddenly, it was like sirens went off and lights started to flash.
There was no real follow-up to the question, and McIlroy was not asked about it in his post-playoff interview.
People assumed that, given their history from last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, when DeChambeau made a putt on the 18th hole to win by a shot, bad blood existed between them.
At least from DeChambeau’s point of view, nothing could be further from the truth.
He wished he had been able to congratulate McIlroy after his playoff win. However, he, like almost every other competitor, had already left Augusta to either return home or head to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for this week’s event. Only McIlroy’s closest friend on Tour, Shane Lowry, and Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood were on hand to celebrate.
So, as McIlroy did when he congratulated DeChambeau on his U.S. Open win at their next event, The Open, DeChambeau will congratulate McIlroy at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow next month.
“I didn’t know who would win, so I couldn’t say congratulations to him, even though I would have 100 percent said congratulations,” DeChambeau told Morning Read the Monday after the Masters playoff win.
DeChambeau explained that Sunday was a day for competition and not pleasantries.
The duo’s lack of conversation in the final round of the Masters was nothing more than McIlroy focusing on the task at hand.
“He was just being stoic the whole day, there was nothing more,” DeChambeau explained. “I was like, he just didn’t talk to me. It wasn’t a slight; there’s no beef or anything. It was like what Tiger did to Tony. It’s the same combo, but it wasn’t meant to be in a bad way, and that’s how things happen. I wish people would not interpret things, but you know people will do that.”
DeChambeau explained he was answering the question more matter of factly than anything else. McIlroy’s actions during the round did not upset DeChambeau, and his response was not meant to be criticism
“He deserved this one; he fought his butt off and absolutely did what he needed to do to win,” DeChambeau said of McIlroy. “It looks scary sometimes, but it was a roller coaster for everybody. And, you know, we gave everybody a roller coaster last year at the U.S. Open. He did it this year at the Masters. So, it was fun to be a part of history.”
Related: Rory McIlroy and a Green Jacket Are a Match Made in Heaven
Related: Bryson DeChambeau Breaks Silence After Rory McIlroy’s Masters Win With Classy Message
Read the full article here