Rory McIlroy says he truly believed the only thing standing in the way of him winning the 2025 Masters was dealing with his playing partner.
The Northern Irishman, 36, finally got over the line at Augusta National in April by beating his European Ryder Cup teammate, Justin Rose, in a play-off.
Victory for McIlroy came 14 years after his stunning collapse at Augusta when he threw away a four-shot lead in the final round and more than a decade since entering the winner’s circle in a major at Valhalla.
McIlroy also had to deal with the fact that his playing partner in the final round was Bryson DeChambeau, who pipped the Ulsterman to the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
The defeat was later described as “horrible” by McIlroy and even more painful than missing out at the landmark 150th Open at St Andrews two years prior.
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He began the final round of the 2025 Masters with a two-shot lead over DeChambeau and the momentum swung all day, filled with high-drama and plenty of mistakes.
“If I was ever going to do it at Augusta, it was always going to have to be that way,” McIlroy told Fried Egg Golf in a wide-ranging interview.
“Just throwing up all over myself the last few holes.”
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy began the final round with a two-shot advantage over the American and, after one hole, trailed by one shot after making a double bogey right out of the gate.
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He re-grouped, picking up birdies at three and four to move three clear of DeChambeau and, at one stage, led by four. By the time he had reached the 18th, he led Rose by one after American faltered.
McIlroy told TFE that there were at least “six or seven” key shots that were key to his success but there was one moment that truly surprised him.
Chief of which was DeChambeau’s decision to lay-up with an iron at the third instead of taking the green on.
McIlroy played the hole aggressively, contrary to what he told Jack Nicklaus he would do, and made a birdie.
“I couldn’t believe it,” McIlroy said. “I know now that that’s what he was really doing all week, especially to the left pins.
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“But I just, I thought with how firm the greens were, it was, it was hard to get a wedge shot close anyway. And I just thought with, I thought he had a chance to drive it on the green.
“I didn’t think I could quite get there, but I felt like he had a chance to, you know, he just got one ahead.
“I felt like even though it was early in the round, it was a, if he were to take driver out there and hit it on the green, it really is like taking the tournament by the scruff of the neck.
“I was just so surprised that he hit iron. And I felt like that gives, and you know, he, you know, he three putts and, and I ended up making a three.
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“And I just thought that was such a huge moment that I’m, you know, I hit that good shot into four and make the pot.
“It was just, you know, if, if I don’t have those two holes after the, such a rough start, you know, I, I probably, I probably don’t go on to win.”
McIlroy decided to ignore DeChambeau for the entirety of the round on the advice of his sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella.
“I felt like that was going to be the toughest thing I would have to deal with that day was Bryson himself,” McIlroy said, adding that the pair are polar opposites in the way they approach the sport.
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“I felt like he was going to have a portion of the crowd and I was going to have a portion of the crowd and then [I was] just having to deal with that a little bit.
“I said that to Rotella, we always, we always met, you know, just by the, the caddie area there before I went to the range every day.
“And he said, how are you feeling today? And I said, I’m feeling good. I’m feeling good about my stuff.
“And I said to him, the, the one thing that I’m like, just uneasy about is just the pairing. And he said, well, just make him invisible.
“I said, well, what do you mean? He goes, well, just don’t, don’t engage. Don’t look at him. Don’t, you know, he’s like, just, just get lost in your own little world.
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Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau at the 2025 Masters
“You’ve got Harry beside you, like, you know, have him be your companion and you just get lost in that world.
“And that’s, that’s what I tried to do, you know, but I, yeah, I was, I was, yeah, I was, that was, you know, that was the, the one thing, like, obviously I felt like that was the biggest impediment between me and winning The Masters that day, you know?
“And then once it was apparent that that wasn’t going to be the biggest impediment, then I made myself the biggest impediment. That’s, I mean, I think that’s relatable to everybody.”
McIlroy said once the final putt went in he was glad it was over.
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“I hope I feel that way on the golf course again,” he added. “Because it means I’m playing for something very important.
“But I don’t know if I will ever feel that way again on the golf course.”
Elsewhere, McIlroy offered his thoughts on the second season of TGL, gamesmanship at the Ryder Cup and the golf ball rollback.
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