Rory McIlroy made a calculated move to blank Bryson DeChambeau before winning the Masters, sports psychologist Bob Rotella has revealed.
McIlroy, 35, completed the career grand slam on Sunday when he claimed the green jacket in thrilling fashion after a playoff with Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose.
But American DeChambeau, who started two shots behind McIlroy, only to eventually finish tied fifth, revealed how the pair did not interact throughout the final round at Augusta National.
“No idea. Didn't talk to me once all day,” DeChambeau said when asked how McIlroy was feeling. “He wouldn't talk to me.”
And Rotella, who has worked with some of the greatest players in golf over several decades, has detailed the mindset McIlroy harnessed to finally break a 10-year drought in the majors.
"That didn't have anything to do with Bryson. That was just the game plan all week and we wanted to get lost in it,” Rotella told Radio 4's Today.
"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."
Australian golfer Min Woo Lee also backed McIlroy’s decision to ignore DeChambeau, adding: "When you play in two-ball pairings, you move so quick you can't talk, and plus they are in the last group. Tension. Not a big deal.”
The decision to block out ‘the noise’ was the correct one from McIlroy who shot a one-over par 73 to tie with Rose at 11-under before recording a birdie on the 18th in the play-off to win the tournament.
"I started to wonder if it would ever be my time," said McIlroy when presented with his green jacket,
"The past 10 years [I've been] coming with the burden of the grand slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that. I am so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.
"It's been very difficult. And not just about winning my next major, but the career grand slam."
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