Rory McIlroy Takes Not-So-Subtle Shot At Bryson DeChambeau

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images.

Rory McIlroy Takes Not-So-Subtle Shot At Bryson DeChambeau

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated May 9, 2026 3:43 PM ET

There's no love lost between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy made sure to remind everyone of that at Quail Hollow this week.

During the Truist Championship in North Carolina, McIlroy had some pretty harsh words directed at golfers in general that many fans now believe were directed at DeChambeau. He said that "this is the place to be" for competitive golfers (in response to the reported struggles that LIV Golf is going through) and said that it "says something about you" if you don't want to be there.

“If you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be,” McIlroy said. “And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you.”

Rory McIlroy takes brutal shot at Bryson DeChambeau amid LIV chaos https://t.co/0S46Cjvz6L pic.twitter.com/4m4uR98xYb
— New York Post (@nypost) May 9, 2026

DeChambeau and his future

The comments from McIlroy come on the heels of DeChambeau suggesting that he might not immediately return to the PGA Tour if things go south with LIV Golf. He mused that he might try to focus on his YouTube channel instead before adding that he'd "love to play tournaments that want me.

“I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube,” DeChambeau said. “And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”

Jun 14, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy fist bump on the 18th green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images© Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

DeChambeau left the PGA Tour in 2022 amid the rise of LIV Golf (thanks in large part to massive financial backing from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia) and the massive contract that the organization offered him to play in the upstart league.

But while some LIV golfers are eager to return to the PGA Tour if the league collapses, it's expected that they won't be welcomed back with open arms as if nothing had happened. The PGA Tour might be placing some stiff penalties on golfers trying to get back into their good graces.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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