Rory McIlroy has played down his decision to snub Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters as the golf star prepares to play at the PGA Championship.
The 36-year-old won the first green jacket of his career at Augusta last month as he became just the sixth golfer in history, and first European, to achieve the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy has played down his decision to snub Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters as the golf star prepares to play at the PGA Championship.
The 36-year-old won the first green jacket of his career at Augusta last month as he became just the sixth golfer in history, and first European, to achieve the career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy has played down his decision to snub Bryson DeChambeau at the Masters as the golf star prepares to play at the PGA Championship
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Now, speaking ahead of the PGA Championship, McIlroy has played down the incident.
“I don’t know what he was expecting," said McIlroy. "Like, we're trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to be his best mate out there.
"Everyone approaches the game in different ways. I was focused on myself and what I needed to do and that's really all that it was.
"It wasn't anything against him, that's just what I felt I needed to do to try and get the best out of myself on that day."
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DeChambeau had said last month: "He was just being stoic the whole day; there was nothing more. I was like, he just didn't talk to me. It wasn't a slight; there's no beef or anything.
"It was like what Tiger [Woods] did to Tony [Finau back in 2019].
"It's the same combo, but it wasn't meant to be in a bad way, and that's how things happen.
"I wish people would not interpret things, but, you know, people will do that."
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Bryson DeChambeau said Rory McIlroy 'didn't speak to me all day' as the British golf star won the MastersREUTERSIt'll be intriguing to see how the PGA Championship plays out.
DeChambeau, after seeing his bid for Masters glory collapse, will be eager to show he can add another major to his collection.
As for McIlroy, the veteran is determined to show he can build on his Masters win as he chases more glory.
DeChambeau has admitted he's looking forward to the showdown, with the 31-year-old relishing the prospect of another battle with his rival.
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"I do believe you have to have a lot of distance out here," he said.
"Rory is a great driver of the golf ball and his iron play is great, too.
"I think it's a golf course that sets up for his shot shapes pretty well, and I think it sets up well for mine, too. We'll see. Maybe I do well, maybe I don't.
"But I'm certainly going to give it my all, and I know Rory is. Hopefully we can have another go at it again like The Masters."
Rory McIlroy previously won the PGA Championship back in 2014GETTYOn his chances of glory, he continued: "I feel like I've always had the capacity to play well in major championships and contend consistently. A lot of things have to go right in majors for you to play well. Your whole game has to be on.
"So I felt like at Valhalla, especially after Augusta, that was the second time that I played well in a major, and it kind of gave me that confidence that I could just keep moving forward with that at every major and keep hammering down on majors.
"Besides the Open Championship, which I feel like is something I've got to continue to work on, which I am rigorously working on, I feel like I'm moving in the right direction with giving myself a lot of multiple chances to win these major championships.
"So I felt like at Valhalla last year, it was more of an assurance of saying, hey, I can do this, and I can do this for a long time, God willing. I'm going to continue to try and play my best golf."
