Bryson DeChambeau revealed that there were no words shared between Rory McIlroy and himself during the dramatic final round at Augusta National on Sunday, and McIlroy’s sports psychologist Bob Rotella has confirmed that it was a tactical decision.
“No idea. [He] didn’t talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau told the press when they’d asked if he had any idea how Rory was feeling after failing to win in regulation.
To be fair, he was answering a question and not complaining, and stated that it was a different approach to the one he takes.
“Electric. I loved it,” he spoke of the atmosphere. “But he was just like — just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.”
DeChambeau had previously said he “wanted to cry” for McIlroy when he found the creek on 13, adding: “But 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. Kind of looked like one of my rounds, actually.”
Speaking on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ show, Rotella confirmed that the radio silence from McIlroy towards DeChambeau was nothing personal and was a tactic to help get Rory over the line.
“That didn’t have anything to do with Bryson,” he said. “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.”
Beginning as far back as the ninth hole on Sunday, Rory’s tournament finale was a rollercoaster ride, but as Rotella explains, it was how McIlroy handled the setbacks that were crucial to him finally landing a Masters title and Career Grand Slam.
“We begin with the idea that golf, by design, is a game of mistakes, and if you love golf, you have to love the mistakes,” he said.
“You have to remind them that other players are playing the same game, and they will also all make mistakes.
“The second part is understanding that you are a human being, you’re going to make mistakes.
“Human beings have a free will, and that means we get to choose how we think and respond to all the crazy things that happen to us on the golf course and in life.”
The Masters victory, which ends a near-11-year majorless drought for McIlroy is going to kickstart an interesting period, Rotella believes, and feels that Rory is now in position to go on and land more major titles.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun to see how many more he can win,” Rotella continued. “His year is off to great start, now he’s got a chance to have the greatest year he’s ever had.
“He’s getting tough mentally and emotionally, and that’s such a big part of it – you’ve got to have will that’s like steel.”
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