Rory McIlroy shares what left him in disbelief about Bryson DeChambeau on Masters Sunday

McIlroy opened with a double bogey, and by the second hole, DeChambeau had moved into the lead. But over the next 10 holes, the American’s round began to unravel.

By the time he walked off the 12th green, he was six under par, having lost five shots since his early lead.

Speaking on Fried Egg Golf after his playoff win over Justin Rose, McIlroy pointed to an early moment that he felt changed the momentum.

“I think both three and four were huge moments. I was walking up the third fairway before Bryson had hit his second shot, one shot behind, after starting two ahead,” he said.

“Then I was walking off the fifth tee box three shots ahead. I was like what just happened?

How Rory McIlroy prepared himself mentally to face Bryson DeChambeau at The Masters

DeChambeau took some heat for comments he made following McIlroy’s victory, pointing out that the Northern Irishman hadn’t spoken to him during their final round.

McIlroy later explained that it was a deliberate choice, saying he needed to tune out any distractions and focus solely on his game.

“I felt like that was going to be the toughest thing I was going to have to deal with that day, Bryson himself and just the way we completely are polar opposites in terms of how we approach the game,” he said.

“I felt like he was going to have a portion of the crowd and I was going to have a portion of the crowd and having to deal with that a little bit.

“I said that to [Bob] Rotella. We always met by the caddie area there before I went to the range every day and he said ‘how are you feeling today?’ I said ‘I’m feeling good, I’m feeling good about my stuff’. But I said to him the one thing I am uneasy about is just the pairing.

“He said ‘just make him invisible’. He goes don’t engage, don’t look at him, just get lost in your own little world. You have Harry beside you, have him be your companion and just get lost in that world.

Had anyone been told that McIlroy would ultimately finish four shots clear of DeChambeau, they would have assumed that a straightforward Sunday was on the cards.

The reality couldn’t have been more different. After taking control early in 2025, McIlroy started leaking shots down the stretch as Rose played his way into contention. It ended up being far more tense than anyone expected heading into Augusta’s final hole.