Rory McIlroy finally reveals what caused his tense stand-off with Bryson DeChambeau

Rory McIlroy has provided fresh details of what appeared to be a slightly heated exchange with Bryson DeChambeau during the final round of the 2025 Masters.

McIlroy, 36, finally captured his first green jacket last April, overcoming his Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to fulfill a childhood ambition of completing the career grand slam.

It was McIlroy's first major championship triumph since he claimed the 2014 PGA Championship in the pitch black at Valhalla. 

McIlroy later revealed in a candid interview he believed the only thing stopping him from becoming the Masters champion on 12 April 2025 was his American rival who had pipped him to the U.S. Open title the year prior. 

He decided not to engage with DeChambeau, choosing to ignore the LIV Golf recruit in the final round. 

But it turns out the two did have a lengthy exchange the ninth hole where both players had birdie putts from inside 10 feet. 

There was some confusion over which player was first to go. 

"I thought it very clearly was my putt," McIlroy said in an excerpt from a new documentary that will air next week on Amazon Prime. 

McIlroy said that both wanted to putt first because they wanted to apply pressure on each other. 

"He goes 'Well, why don't we just throw a tee up for it to see who goes first?'

"And I'm like 'No, this is the final round of The Masters. This isn't some game on a Tuesday afternoon somewhere.' I'm like 'No'. I wasn't gonna wilt in that situation. I was just gonna stand firm.

"So I said, ‘There's a referee there. Why don't we get him to come up and measure?' 

"And he said, 'No, it's fine. You can go anyway. I don't care.' I just felt like that was a really big moment."

McIlroy added that he was proud of himself for standing his ground in the moment. He made his putt and DeChambeau missed. 

Watch McIlroy explain the situation here:

He later took control of the tournament and by the time the pair had finished the 10th hole, which McIlroy birdied, he built a four-shot lead. 

DeChambeau's challenge faded when he found the water at the 11th hole and McIlroy, as you likely know, threw up on himself down the stretch by making a double bogey out of nowhere on the 13th and dropping another shot at the 14th to surrender his lead.  

He rebounded at the 15th, unleashing one of the most remarkable shots of his career with a 7‑iron around the trees, sailed through the 16th with composure, and then added another birdie at the 17th to carry a one‑shot lead into the final hole

McIlroy found the sand with his approach at the 72nd and couldn't save par. 

Yet he produced a moment of magic on the first playoff hole before collapsing on the floor in tears of joy. 

After the tournament concluded, DeChambeau appeared to be surprised by the lack of interaction. 

"Didn't talk to me once all day," he said. "[The atmosphere] was electric. I loved it. But he was just like ... just being focused, I guess. It's not me, though."

When asked if he tried to engage, he added: "He wouldn't talk to me."

McIlroy explained his psychologist, Bob Rotella, implored him to ignore DeChambeau. 

"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."

Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait premieres on 30 March.