By: Kevin Cunningham April 14, 2025
Rory McIlroy shakes hands with rival Bryson DeChambeau after the final round of the 2025 Masters.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
On Sunday at the 2025 Masters, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau faced off in the latest edition of what has become golf best’s rivalry. But while both players delivered blows on the course, they kept the talking to a minimum. Minimum meaning none at all. In fact, according to DeChambeau, McIlroy gave him the silent treatment all day long Sunday on his way to Masters victory.
Once he’d putted out for his fourth bogey of the day on Augusta National’s 18th hole, DeChambeau was hurting.
The night before on the very same green, he had electrified the crowd and had stolen the Masters momentum with an epic closing birdie that narrowed McIlroy’s lead to two heading into Sunday.
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And that momentum switch seemed to be hugely impactful in the final round. At least at the start. McIlroy doubled the 1st while Bryson saved par, and just like that, it was tied. One hole later, DeChambeau had taken the lead alone at 11 under. At that point, few people thought this Masters was anything but Bryson’s for the taking.
But then the wheels came off.
Bogeys at 3 and 4 proved to set the tone, and DeChambeau eventually signed for a three-over 75 and a disappointing T5-finish at seven under.
While the trajectory of Bryson’s round remained downward after the 2nd, McIlroy continued to ride the roller-coaster all day long. By the 4th hole he’d regained his lead.
But with another double bogey at the 13th, he’d squandered the lead again, one that had stretched to four shots just a few holes before. On the 18th, he missed a five-foot putt to win to lose the lead for a third time, before finally finishing on a high note in the playoff.
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But if you want to know what Rory was feeling during his dramatic final round, don’t ask his playing partner. When play was over, DeChambeau revealed that McIlroy didn’t say a word to him all round long.
“No idea, didn’t talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau responded Sunday night to a question about his interactions with McIlroy on Masters Sunday.
When asked about the atmosphere during the final-round duel, DeChambeau said it was “electric” and he “loved it,” but could only speculate as to how McIlroy felt about it
“But [McIlroy] was just like — just being focused, I guess,” DeChambeau said. “It’s not me, though.”
After Tiger won in 2019, Finau joked that he realized it wasn’t gonna be a chatty day when he asked Tiger how his kids were and got a one-word answer: “good.”My humble opinion is that I think you’re allowed to focus on winning the Masters on Sunday
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) April 14, 2025
After one final question about Rory, DeChambeau appeared to start getting frustrated.
“He wouldn’t talk to me,” he said curtly to end the exchange.
For now, DeChambeau will head back to LIV Golf. But the whole golf world will get to see him and McIlroy in action again soon at May’s PGA Championship.
