Gary Player is among the legendary figures turning his focus to The Masters, where Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are seeking a first success.
Player is a three-time Masters champion, donning the green jacket at Augusta National in 1961, 1974 and 1978.
McIlroy is a four-time major champion, with DeChambeau winning two such titles, but neither have won The Masters.
Player backed McIlroy for further success back in 2018, with the latter’s last major win coming back in 2014.
DeChambeau meanwhile triumphed at the US Open last season, overcoming McIlroy by one shot at Pinehurst.
Gary Player wants Masters wins for Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy
Player has now discussed the duo ahead of the next edition of The Masters, having been asked who he usually sits next to at the Champions Dinner, and the two players he would most like to see there in the future.
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“I sit next to Nick Faldo and Vijay Singh,” Player told Golfweek. “Rory McIlroy, he will get there, and Bryson DeChambeau because he is a fantastic person and always makes it a point to greet me with a handshake and hat off every time I see him. I hope to greet him the same way at the Champions Dinner one day.”
What are Bryson DeChambeau’s and Rory McIlroy’s best Masters finishes?
McIlroy has come agonisingly close to clinching an elusive fifth major championship, particularly at the US Open.
Just one year before a final round collapse saw DeChambeau steal his US Open crown, the Northern Irishman finished one shot behind champion Wyndham Clark at the same tournament.
And that solo second finish also represents his best in The Masters, with McIlroy finishing three shots behind Scottie Scheffler in 2022.
DeChambeau enjoyed a phenomenal major championship season in 2024, with a personal-best T6 at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship before winning the US Open for a second time.
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