Rory McIlroy was met by Bryson DeChambeau on the first tee for his final round at Augusta National.
It was like his American adversary was the final boss, one more demon to slay on his lifelong journey to a Green Jacket. McIlroy was haunted by the ghost of Pinehurst No.2, where he threw away a US Open win to Bryson DeChambeau a year earlier. This was his chance at redemption.
DeChambeau represented everything McIlroy has been fighting against for the last three years. Not only was he LIV Golf’s marquee superstar and their most vocal supporter, but he was also the man to burst through the door left open by McIlroy’s meltdown during his decade-long wait for another major championship.
And DeChambeau knew it. During the build-up to The Showdown in Las Vegas, both players were answering questions from fans on the range. McIlroy said, “I’d like to get him back for what he did to me at U.S. Open.” DeChambeau’s cutting response? “To be fair, you kinda did it to yourself.”
So, of course, these rivals would be grouped together on the final day at Augusta National, battling it out for their first Green Jacket. McIlroy was forced to look him in the eye and take revenge for the 2024 US Open. But the career Grand Slam winner has since said that he got something wrong about DeChambeau on that day.
Rory McIlroy said beating Bryson DeChambeau was not his biggest challenge at The Masters
It was built up to be the clash of the titans between two rivals, with no love lost between them. But in truth, DeChambeau played poorly on Masters Sunday and fell out of contention quickly. McIlroy took a four-shot lead with six holes to go, meaning the biggest battle on the day wasn’t with DeChambeau, it was with himself.
Anxiety was etched onto McIlroy’s face as he threatened to fall apart down the stretch, but there was no repeat of Pinehurst No. 2 in the end. McIlroy hung on to win The Masters in a playoff with Justin Rose.
He didn’t make it easy, finding the water on 13 to make a double, and bogeying 14 and 18, so McIlroy said he’d love the opportunity to start over on the 13th tee to finish off the tournament the right way.
Speaking prior to the Australian Open, he said, “I never want to feel like that on a golf course again. Your legs are weak, you feel like you want to throw up.
Do you think Rory McIlroy will win two or more majors before he retires?
“Honestly, I thought going into that day that the biggest challenge for me was going to be playing with Bryson. That ended up not being what it was. I felt like I overcame that part of it and what happened at Pinehurst the year before.
“But I said afterwards the battle that day was with myself. I wish I stood on that 13th tee with a four or five shot lead and I’d love to be in that position again to see if I could finish it off the right way.
“I think if I was ever going to win The Masters my journey in that tournament, there was never going to be a way where I won The Masters were it was going to be smooth sailing. It was always going to be this rollercoaster and it probably was the appropriate way for it to happen.
“But the nice thing with winning The Masters is you get to go back every year, and I’d love to have another chance to win another one.”
What pundits got wrong after Rory McIlroy won The Masters
You might think that his 2025 win would open the door for McIlroy to perform well at Augusta, a place that he has struggled at so often during his career. But judging by how he played after winning the Green Jacket, it may not be so simple.
McIlroy was expected to play with a weight off his shoulders and contend for other major championships in 2025. Dame Laura Davies said McIlroy could win five or six more majors now he’d finally completed the career Grand Slam.
Tommy Fleetwood says Rory McIlroy is the best golfer of his generation
Instead, McIlroy lacked motivation. He was frosty with the media and completely off of his game, missing the cut at the Canadian Open and finishing T47 at the US Open.
So while the pressure has been lifted and McIlroy can now relax when he next arrives at Augusta National, don’t expect him to play with freedom and perform well. That’s not what McIlroy’s performances post-Masters win have shown us.
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