Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are the biggest rivals in professional golf at the moment, and it’s exciting to watch.
DeChambeau won the US Open last year with an incredible up-and-down on the final hole, capitalizing on McIlroy’s missed short putt minutes before.
The pair collided again at The Masters last month as McIlroy ignored DeChambeau in the final round on the way to winning the Green Jacket.
Golf expert Dan Rapaport has shared what he thinks the pair’s relationship is like after their recent major championship battles.
Dan Rapaport speaks about Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau’s relationship
While Scottie Scheffler is the world number one, McIlroy and DeChambeau are probably the two most high-profile active golfers in the world.
They also happen to be the poster boys for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, respectively, and have very different personalities.
Rapaport is now convinced that McIlroy and DeChambeau don’t like each other, but says that it’s “great for golf.”
“I don’t think they are really that good friends,” he explained. “I just don’t think they like each other. And that’s totally fine. I actually think it’s great for golf.
“We were talking about Bryson vs Brooks a couple of years ago, and that felt almost like bullying! It was almost like Brooks was just stuffing Bryson in a locker. That was the energy that I got.
“They have gone toe to toe each of the last two years. It was toe to toe at Pinehurst, they were in the final group at The Masters. I think it’s a rivalry.
“Bryson said, ‘[McIlroy] is a great player and hopefully we get into another battle like we had at The Masters.’ Bryson got heat for this, and then the Bryson people backed him up for this with what he said after, when he said he wouldn’t talk to me or speak to me the whole round.
“We walked past Bryson today and he said, ‘Hey guys’. He is a big hello guy. I get the sense that maybe they don’t really care for each other, and that’s okay. They are four years apart, but they are so far apart in terms of what their lives look like. Rory is married, a big red wine guy.
“I thought one of the most amazing things about Rory’s celebration [after The Masters] was that you did not see a single thing come out of it. He flew to Belfast, was in London, and you did not see a single social media post. You just did not see any of it. But with Bryson, there would be a vlog, and he would be filming and celebrating somewhere.
“I think hate is a really strong word, I think they respect each other as competitors. It is 1-1. Bryson got him at Pinehurst, Rory got him at The Masters.”
Dan Rapaport on Rory McIlroy’s reaction to Bryson DeChambeau’s Masters comments
Arguably, the biggest story after The Masters, outside of McIlroy’s career Grand Slam achievement, was DeChambeau’s comments about McIlroy not speaking to him.
The Northern Irishman hadn’t responded until his PGA Championship press conference, where he effectively dismissed his rival.
Rapaport thinks McIlroy dealt with the situation as well as possible and now has a mental edge over DeChambeau.
“It’s almost the strongest answer because it’s not… It’s like when the person is not mad at you, they are just not thinking about you, and that’s even worse.
“Almost worse than someone being mad at you or having something against you is that they’re not even thinking about you at all. Is it fair to say something is brewing?”
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