- Rory McIlroy was partnered with Bryson DeChambeau during his final round
- However, the pair barely communicated throughout Sunday’s dramatic action
Rory McIlroy always planned not to engage with Bryson DeChambeau throughout his successful final round at the Masters, his sports psychologist has revealed.
McIlroy, 35, won his first major in 11 years at Augusta on Sunday in dramatic fashion to become just the sixth player to complete golf’s career Grand Slam.
After an agonising day of ups and downs, the Northern Irishman eventually overcame Englishman Justin Rose in a play-off.
During his round, McIlroy had played alongside American DeChambeau, who was two shots behind him heading into the final day, but tailed off to finish four adrift in fifth place.
However, the pair barely seemed to communicate – and DeChambeau later aimed a subtle dig at McIlroy.
When asked how the Northern Irishman must be feeling after his triumph, DeChambeau replied: ‘No idea. Didn’t talk to me once all day,’ before he later added: ‘He wouldn’t talk to me.’
Rory McIlroy never planned to speak to Bryson DeChambeau, according to his psychologist
McIlroy won the Masters in a play-off on Sunday evening to complete a career Grand Slam
For the final round, McIlroy played alongside DeChambeau but the pair barely communicated
However, Bob Rotella, McIlroy’s psychologist has revealed that his failure to engage with his rival was ‘part of the gameplan’.
‘That didn’t have anything to do with Bryson,’ Rotella told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. ‘That was just the game plan all week and we wanted to get lost in it.
‘We didn’t want to pay attention to what anyone else was scoring, or shooting, or swinging or how far they were hitting it – we just wanted Rory to play his game.
‘The point is, if you believe you’re going to win, just play your game and assume that if you do that anywhere near the way you’re capable of, then you will end up number one.’
Rotella continued: ‘If you watched Rory, he was very locked into his own world. It’s just you and the golf course and your caddie.
‘You get lost in this world that you’ve made up, and play the game you love.
‘I think he did a beautiful job of that all day. He did so many things to bounce back time after time.’
McIlroy, who was extremely emotional in his celebrations at Augusta after finally getting over the line, was also defended by Australian star Min Woo Lee.
DeChambeau had aimed a subtle dig at McIlroy on Sunday, claiming ‘he wouldn’t talk to me’
Bob Rotella, McIlroy’s sports psychologist, revealed that was ‘part of McIlroy’s gameplan’
Australian golfer Min Woo Lee also played down the importance of partners communicating
The world No 25 took to Instagram to play down the importance of golfers communicating on course.
‘When you play in two-ball pairings, you move so quick you can’t talk,’ he explained.
‘And plus they are in the last group. Tension. Not a big deal.’
McIlroy’s triumph came after a topsy-turvy day at Augusta, with the 35-year-old shooting his worst round of the tournament to blow a four-shot lead at one point.
His performance, which did include several high quality shots, also saw him miss a par putt on the 18th hole to win the tournament, before he birdied the play-off hole against Rose, who had been tied with him on -11 after the main action finished.
