Rory McIlroy ignored Bryson Dechambeau in Masters final round: ‘He didn’t talk to me once all day’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bryson DeChambeau, who played in the final round with Masters winner Rory McIlroy, said he tried to converse with McIlroy all day and McIlroy refused to engage.

“He didn’t talk to me once all day,’’ said DeChambeau, who shot 75 and finished four shots out of the lead.

Asked if he tried to initiate conversation with McIlroy, DeChambeau said, “He wouldn’t talk to me. He was just like … just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.”

DeChambeau said he “wanted to cry’’ for McIlroy after the Northern Ireland native hit his third shot into Rae’s Creek to bring everyone back into the tournament he was controlling.

“As a professional, you just know to hit it in the middle of the green, and I can’t believe he went for it, or must have just flared it,’’ he said. “I’ve hit bad shots in my career, too, and it happens. When you’re trying to win a major championship, especially out here, Sunday of Augusta, the Masters, you have to just do it and get the job done and do it right.

“There were times where it looked like he had full control and at times where it’s like, ‘What’s going on?’”

There was a thought that when DeChambeau drained his 48-foot birdie putt on 18 to close his third round on Saturday evening, it may have propelled him to a Masters victory on Sunday.

The birdie got DeChambeau to within two shots of McIlroy and, more importantly, it earned him a spot in the final pairing on Sunday.

DeChambeau got off to a dream start when McIlroy took double bogey on the first hole after hitting his tee shot into the fairway bunker, leaving the two tied at 10-under par.

He then took a one-shot lead with birdie on No. 2. So, a three-shot swing in two holes and DeChambeau appeared on his way … until he wasn’t.

DeChambeau would slowly and agonizingly melt down from there.

While he bogeyed No. 3, McIlroy birdied it and regained the lead that DeChambeau would never regain.

DeChambeau bogeyed No. 4, McIlroy birded it and Mcllroy was leading by three shots.

Along the way to shooting 75, DeChambeau hit approach shots into the water on No. 11 and again on No. 15.

It was a nightmare final round for the 2024 U.S. Open champion, who felt he was in a perfection position entering Sunday.

When he was asked after his round on Saturday if he believes in momentum from one round to the next, he said, “Yeah, for sure, I think there’s a bit of it. Is it going to be the full reason why I play well or not my best tomorrow? No. But there is momentum.’’

That momentum seemed to disintegrate with those bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4.

By the time DeChambeau double-bogeyed 11 after hitting his approach into the water, he was 7-under and trailing McIlroy by six shots. A bogey on 12 left him at 6-under and 4-over for the day and out of contention.

“I didn’t feel like I lost it, just my golf swing wasn’t fully there,’’ DeChambeau said. “Boy, that third hole, the seventh hole, 17, there were just a couple key moments when I didn’t have my swing and it cost me drastically.

“Will it happen in my career?’’ DeChambeau went on. “You never know, but I’m going to give it my best.’’