Rory McIlroy Reveals Bizarre Bryson DeChambeau Clash That Led To Tense Masters Sunday Stand-Off

Rory McIlroy has revealed an astonishing exchange with Bryson DeChambeau in Sunday's final round at The Masters last year that may explain the tension between the pair.

McIlroy finally achieved his career Grand Slam on that scintillating Sunday at Augusta National, with his focused demeanour the polar opposite of DeChambeau's more outgoing persona.

DeChambeau famously said after the round that McIlroy didn't talk to him all day but the Northern Irishman has another side to the story he reveals in his upcoming Amazon Prime documentary titled 'The Masters Wait'.

The incident came on the ninth green when both men noticeably stood around for some time deciding who was to attempt their makeable birdie putts first.

According to McIlroy, he thought "it very clearly was my putt" but DeChambeau thought he was further away and should putt first as both balls were a similar distance from the hole.

"It was a very gamesmanship-y matchplay thing," McIlroy explains in a clip of his Masters documentary released by Amazon Prime Video. "Really, both of us want to putt first, because if you can hole your putt before your opponent has his turn, it puts pressure on them."

It's then that DeChambeau came up with his solution to the problem that was unorthodox at the very least, especially for a Sunday at The Masters.

“He [DeChambeau] goes ‘so why don’t we just throw a tee up for it to see who goes first?’ I’m like ‘no', this is the final round of the Masters, this isn’t some game on a Tuesday afternoon somewhere.

"I wasn’t going to wilt in that situation, I was going to stand firm. So I said, ‘there’s a referee over there, why don’t we get him up to come and measure?’ And he said, ‘no, no, it’s fine. You can go anyway. I don’t care’.”

What do you think of the situation? And do you prefer McIlroy's focused approach or DeChambeau's more emotional demanour? Let us know by joining the conversation below...

As is the way with golf, McIlroy knocked in his putt for a three and DeChambeau went and missed his as he fell four shots behind his playing partner, and would never recover enough ground.

And it's a moment that McIlroy believes was the catalyst for the American falling out of contention at Augusta.

"I felt like that was a really big moment and I was proud of myself for holding my ground," McIlroy added. "I felt like Bryson wasn’t really a factor in the tournament after that point."

The two traded opinions on the final round after that - with DeChambeau saying that McIlroy "didn't talk to me once all day" on Sunday, which obviously contradicts the events McIlroy talks about.

McIlroy responded to DeChambeau saying he was simply focused on what he needed to do, insisting it wasn't anything personal to do with 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."

McIlroy's never previously talked about the ninth green incident though so it will be interesting to see if he elaborates further on it or if DeChambeau has any comment when he is no doubt quizzed on it either before or at The Masters.

It's the latest evidence of the clash of styles and personalities between probably the two biggest names in golf right now - and will add another layer of intrigue to the opening Major of the year coming up. You get the sense this story isn't over just yet.

Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait is released on Amazon Prime on Monday March 30.