Bryson DeChambeau arrives as the form player trying to deny Rory McIlroy a successful title defence at The Masters, having ‘helped’ the Northern Irishman close out Grand Slam glory last year.
DeChambeau has won his last two LIV Golf League starts and is among the favourites to challenge for a third major title this week, 12 months on from losing a final-round duel with McIlroy at Augusta National.
McIlroy had blown a two-shot lead on the first hole of a roller-coaster Sunday, where DeChambeau briefly moved top of the leaderboard before fading to a tied-fifth finish after a final-round 75.
DeChambeau snatched US Open victory from McIlroy at Pinehurst No 2 the previous June and mocked the Northern Irishman’s final-round collapse ahead of ‘The Match’ showdown later that year, saying: “You kind of did it [collapse] to yourself.”
McIlroy responded by ending his 11-year wait for an elusive fifth major title at The Masters, where he played alongside the American on the final day, with former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believing their rivalry was a positive factor in closing out Grand Slam success.
“There’s no doubt that playing with Bryson [DeChambeau] in the last round last year helped them more than hurt him,” McGinley said in a media call ahead of The Masters, live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf.
“The reason it helped them was Bryson belittled them six months previously, when they did that made-for-TV event out in the desert. He [DeChambeau] made a smart comment about Rory messing up at the US Open in order for Bryson to win.
“That was logged and that’s the kind of stuff that drives Rory into focus, which is what he did in terms of winning the Grand Slam. Bryson really did him a favour because he forced him into focus – he p***** him off and got him [McIlroy] in the mindset he needs to get in.
DeChambeau said after last year’s final round that the world No 2 “didn’t talk to me once all day”, although McIlroy has since dismissed that remark and claimed the American suggested they ‘throw a tee up’ to decide who played first on the par-four ninth green.
“I’m like, no, this is the final round of The Masters – this isn’t some game on a Tuesday afternoon somewhere,” McIlroy said in a clip to promote ‘Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait’, a documentary released on Prime Video.
‘I wasn’t going to wilt in that situation. I was just going to stand firm. So I said ‘there’s a ref right there, why don’t we get him up to come and measure?’ And he said ‘no it’s fine, you can go anyway. I don’t care’.
“I just felt like that was a really big moment. I was proud of myself for holding my ground.”
Is DeChambeau ‘trending’ toward big week?
DeChambeau has posted top-10 finishes in six of his last eight majors, ending runner-up in successive editions of the PGA Championship and finishing no worse than sixth in his last two starts at Augusta National.
The two-time US Open champion sits second to Jon Rahm in this season’s LIV Golf League individual standings after winning their last two events, beating Richard T Lee in a play-off in Singapore before beating Rahm in sudden death in South Africa.
“I think he’s trending towards it [major victory],” McGinley added. “If you look at Bryson’s performances in major championships in the last two or three years, as much as he’s had success, his iron play has been pretty poor.
“You need really strong iron play better than anything [around Augusta]. It will be interesting to see where his iron play is, but certainly last year he was one of the worst performing iron players in the field and yet still finished in the top five – that shows you how good the rest of his game is.
“His chipping and his putting in particular were brilliant last year and his driving is always good, but he has got to be better with his irons if he’s going to win – that’s the differentiating factor around there. You get punished badly with some wayward iron shots, so that’s going to be key for him.
“I think all of the LIV players have a chip on their shoulder, which isn’t a bad thing as a competitor come into it, so I wouldn’t see a few of them raising the gallop and having a good week. Bryson and Jon [Rahm] really look like two guys in prime and full of confidence.”
McIlroy arrives looking to become just the fourth player ever – and first since Tiger Woods – to successfully defend the Green Jacket, although was forced to withdraw through injury at last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and then struggled during his title defence at The Players.
“I think it [McIlroy’s game] is off, to be honest,” McGinley admitted. “I don’t think he’s primed the way he was this time last year, coming off wins at The Players and Pebble Beach [AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am].
“Obviously, the injury has derailed him a little bit. I think it’s going to be very difficult – and it always is – to defend around Augusta. Rory’s concentration levels will be tested because of the activities that go on as defending champion.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on as defending champion – it’s a good problem to have and I’m sure he’s delighted with it, but I don’t know if it’s going to drive him into a top-level performance.”
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