True rivalries aren’t easy to form in golf. It’s not exactly a head-to-head sport, and there is no give-and-take like there is in other sports where offense and defense clash. Each player gives it his best effort, and the best wins.
Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau officially have a rivalry, even if it’s a friendly one. DeChambeau has been at the center of some not-so-friendly rivalries — just ask Brooks Koepka — but his clashes with McIlroy have been purely focused on golf.
The rivalry’s newest chapter took place at the 2025 Masters when the two were paired together for the first time in a major. McIlroy won in thrilling fashion, but all suspense between the two rivals faded when DeChambeau slid down the leaderboard during a tough final round.
Here’s a closer look at the relationship and rivalry between McIlroy and DeChambeau.
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Do Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau get along?
McIlroy and DeChambeau aren’t known to have any animosity toward each other and have had friendly interactions with one another, but the two are “not friends,” Golf.com reported during the 2025 Masters.
“We’ve been fine,” DeChambeau said about the relationship between himself and McIlroy after the third round of the tournament.
After McIlroy’s win, DeChambeau revealed he had no interactions with the grand slam winner while they were paired together. “He didn’t talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau said.
DeChambeau and McIlroy were seen laughing together during The Showdown in December, a made-for-TV event that pitted DeChambeau and former rival Koepka against McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. Six months earlier, there was no room for laughter when McIlroy missed two short putts and watched DeChambeau overtake him to win the U.S. Open.
McIlroy certainly doesn’t blame anyone but himself for that loss, but it might still be hard for him to stomach it. He and DeChambeau have been cordial ever since, even if they can’t call themselves best friends by any means.
When LIV Golf was taking hold as a disruptor in the world of golf, McIlroy was one of the most vocal detractors of the league. DeChambeau, meanwhile, signed on with LIV. McIlroy has functioning relationships with LIV Golfers, but the saga underscored the major differences between himself and DeChambeau.
McIlroy and DeChambeau profile as two extremely different personalities. McIlroy is quieter and made it clear Saturday night he preferred to stay off his phone and lock in mentally for the final round on Sunday. DeChambeau, on the other hand, was more vocal and fired up about the chance to play for a green jacket on Sunday, even saying that, unlike McIlroy, he would be on social media before the round.
At the 2024 U.S. Open, DeChambeau’s approach won out. McIlroy evened the score at the Masters.
Rory McIlroy 2024 U.S. Open collapse
McIlroy has posted 21 top-10 finishes in majors since his last victory, but his most painful moment came at the U.S. Open in 2024. McIlroy didn’t enter the final round in the lead, but he led by one stroke with four holes remaining and would have held on if he had made the putts he typically makes.
McIlroy bogeyed three of the last four holes, missing two putts of less than four feet. Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, hit a near-perfect bunker shot on the 18th hole to set up a putt that won him the tournament.
“Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer,” McIlroy said in the days after the devastating finish. McIlroy withdrew from the Travelers Championship the following week and missed the cut at the Open Championship the following month.
MORE: Why Bryson DeChambeau regrets ‘disrespectful’ quote about Augusta National
