Rory McIlroy finally speaks out on tense moment with Bryson DeChambeau during Masters win

Rory McIlroy has finally addressed what caused the stand-off between himself and Bryson DeChambeau at the 2025 Masters.

McIlroy completed a career Grand Slam – becoming just the sixth golfer to do so, alongside Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Gary Player – at Augusta in 2025, finally securing a fifth major championship, having won his fourth major 11 years earlier.

But the tournament was not all plain sailing, with the Northern Irishman caught in an intense stand-off with American DeChambeau on the ninth green during the final round.

Both players, with McIlroy three shots clear, stood over their putts while refusing to step forward and take their shots. Both golfers’ balls appeared to be exactly the same distance away.

After months of speculation, McIlroy has finally addressed the exchange when speaking in a preview of Prime’s Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait.

The 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year explained: “I thought it very clearly was my putt.

“I thought his ball was slightly closer than mine. We sort of looked at each other and I’m like, ‘well, I think it’s me to go’. And he’s like, ‘well, I think it’s me to go’.

“It was a very gamesmanship-type matchplay thing. Really, both of us wanted to putt first, because if you can hole your putt before your opponent has his turn, it puts pressure on them.

“So he said, ‘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 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 to come and measure?’ And he said, ‘no, no, it’s fine. You can go anyway. I don’t care’.”

DeChambeau went on to miss his putt at the first attempt, meaning the gap between the duo increased from two to four strokes, while McIlroy wrapped up the hole in three shots.

“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.”

DeChambeau eventually missed out on a top-10 finish, while McIlroy won the tournament and received the coveted Green Jacket.

The 2026 Masters gets underway at Augusta on 9 April, with both DeChambeau and McIlroy set to take part.