Rory McIlroy's former putting coach, Phil Kenyon, has played down the golfer's decision to snub Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters last month as the PGA Championship looms.
The 36-year-old triumphed at Augusta to secure the first green jacket of his career after overcoming Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off.
At the start of the final day, McIlroy was paired with DeChambeau.
The American later claimed that his rival 'didn't speak to me all day' as the duo battled it out for glory.
Rory McIlroy's former putting coach, Phil Kenyon, has played down the golfer's decision to snub Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters last month as the PGA Championship looms
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McIlroy has already explained himself, quipping that he didn't know what his rival expected given the high stakes involved.
And Kenyon, speaking to Grosvenor Sport, has now downplayed the incident and insisted it's totally understandable.
“I mean sometimes things get taken out of context," he stated. "I don’t know what Bryson said.
"Rory would have gone out with a gameplan and was in his own bubble. It's professional sport and they’re not exchanging pleasantries at every opportunity.
“If I was playing with Rory in the final round of the Masters with the career Grand Slam on the line, I wouldn’t expect Rory to be asking how my mum’s doing.
"I wouldn’t expect him to say a word to me. You just get on with it.”
Despite being close to McIlroy, however, Kenyon confesses that he actually wanted Rose to win the Masters.
The reason why? Because he now works with the 44-year-old on a regular basis.
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Bryson DeChambeau said Rory McIlroy 'didn't speak to me all day' as the British golf star won the Masters last month
REUTERS“You could see the relief and the emotion when Rory won at Augusta," he continued.
"He put himself through the ringer on Sunday which contributed massively to the emotions we all saw at the end.
"It’s a weight lifted and an unbelievable achievement and in theory should free him up going forward.
“To complete the career Grand Slam is something very few people do. He’s etched his name in the history books and he should feel very proud.
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"Knowing Rory reasonably well it was great to see him knock it off even though I was rooting for Justin Rose in the play off as he’s a client of mine.
“I don’t think many people would have been able to handle themselves like Rosey did. It was fitting that Rosey was the player to lose to Rory in the play-off.
"He said some nice things to Rory on the green but he would have been massively disappointed but he understood the magnitude of what Rory achieved.
"Rosey didn’t lose it, Rory won it in the play-off so there wasn’t anything he could do.”
Rory McIlroy is bidding for PGA Championship glory
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McIlroy is set to tee off at 1.22pm as he chases a first PGA Championship crown since 2014.
Whether he can follow up his sensational win at Augusta with another remarkable win remains to be seen.
