Rory McIlroy not speaking to Bryson DeChambeau during the entire final round of the Masters wasn’t a result of any animosity between the two, it was ‘just the game plan.’
McIlroy’s sports psychologist, Bob Rotella, said Tuesday the need to stay focused ‘didn’t have anything to do with Bryson.’
‘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,’ Rotella said.
McIlroy later admitted he probably should have been more aware of what else was going on during the back nine on Sunday, when he squandered a two-shot lead on the par-5 13th hole by hitting a relatively short pitch into the creek and ending up with a double bogey.
However, he recovered from his mistake, made it into the playoff with Justin Rose and eventually won his first Masters title.
‘We begin with the idea that golf, by design, is a game of mistakes,’ Rotella said, ‘and if you love golf, you have to love the mistakes.’
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McIlroy said his display of raw emotion after sinking the winning putt on the first playoff hole was a culmination of everything that had been building up inside him during his 11-year pursuit of the career Grand Slam – something only five other golfers have ever accomplished.
Finally winning the Masters – his fifth major title, but first since 2014 – could spur the 35-year-old to even greater heights.
‘My guess is that he will go on and win quite a few more,’ Rotella said. ‘I think he’s thinking of having a multiple-win season.’
The next major on the golf calendar is the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow next month. After that, the U.S. Open is at Oakmont Country Club in June and the British Open is at Royal Portrush in McIlroy’s native Northern Ireland in July.