'I Don’t Know What He Was Expecting. We're Trying To Win The Masters, I'm Not Going To Be His Best Mate Out There' - Rory McIlroy Explains Blanking Bryson DeChambeau At Augusta
Rory McIlroy explained exactly why he didn't speak to Bryson DeChambeau during the final round of The Masters


New Masters champion Rory McIlroy said ahead of the PGA Championship that he was in no mood to be Bryson DeChambeau's best mate during that epic final round on Sunday at Augusta National.
After playing in the final pairing in The Masters on Sunday with McIlroy, DeChambeau said that the new Grand Slam winner "didn't talk to me once all day".
When a follow-up question to DeChambeau asked if he tried to speak with McIlroy at all, the 31-year-old simply stated: "He wouldn't talk to me."
McIlroy's sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella explained why the Northern Irishman did not engage in conversation with DeChambeau, and now the man himself has had his say.
Ahead of the action starting at Quail Hollow, McIlroy was asked about the situation at The Masters, and was puzzled as to why DeChambeau would be expecting anything else.
“I don’t know what he was expecting," said McIlroy. "Like, we're trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to be his best mate out there.
"Everyone approaches the game in different ways. I was focused on myself and what I needed to do and that's really all that it was.
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"It wasn't anything against him, that's just what I felt I needed to do to try and get the best out of myself on that day."
McIlroy has 'achieved everything that I've wanted'
McIlroy's lifetime ambition was to win all four Majors, and now that he's done that he intends to enjoy the rest of his career, and not set any more lofty goals.
"I have achieved everything that I've wanted - I've done everything I've wanted to do in the game," McIlroy said.
"I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the Majors. I've done that. Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.
"I've always said I'm never going to put a number on it. I've talked about trying to become the best European ever or the best international player ever or whatever that is.
"I don't want to - I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the Career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this. I want to enjoy what I've achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career, and I don't want to burden myself by numbers or statistics. I just want to go and try to play the best golf I can."
Masters win 'could be the highlight of my career'
After waiting so long to slip on the Green Jacket and complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy is still rejoicing in his accomplishment, and recognizes that it may be the pinnacle of his career.
"It's everything I thought it would be. I think the outpouring of support and congratulatory messages has been absolutely amazing.
"Look, everyone needs to have goals and dreams, and I've been able to do something that I dreamed of for a long time.
"I'm still going to set myself goals. I'm still going to try to achieve certain things. But I sit here knowing that that very well could be the highlight of my career.
"That's a very cool thing. I want to still create a lot of other highlights and high points, but I'm not sure if any other win will live up to what happened a few weeks ago."
"I don't know what he was expecting" 🤔Rory McIlroy on not speaking to Bryson DeChambeau during his final round at The Masters 💭 pic.twitter.com/ZOqjiMDgdJMay 14, 2025
McIlroy's Masters moment still emotional
McIlroy's not watched his Masters moment back on television too often, as he wants to try and remamber it from his own unique perspective - with the emotions of the 18th green still fresh in his mind.
"I've tried not to watch it a lot because I want to remember the feelings," said McIlroy.
"I've talked about this before, but I think when I rewatch a lot of things back, I then just remember of the visuals of the TV rather than what I was feeling and what I was seeing through my own eyes, so I haven't tried to watch it back too much.
"But anytime I have, I well up. I still feel like I want to cry.
"It was an involuntary - I've never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again. That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment."

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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