Back in April, the Masters showdown between Bryson DeChambeau and Rory Mcllroy galvanized Augusta. Fast forward to September, and the hype is buzzing around their rematch at the Ryder Cup, per Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.
Already, both men are looking forward to a potential matchup this week.
“Would I love to go up against him? Yeah. It would be a lot of fun,” DeChambeau said Thursday. “Is it going to happen? It's not likely. I mean, maybe once. You never know.”
“If I come up against Bryson at some point, I think that's great,” McIlroy said. “I think that's wonderful for the championship and wonderful for us, as well, in some ways.”
During the Masters, DeChambeau seemed to imply there was a beef between McIlroy. Afterward, he said that he would like to “chirp in [McIlroy's] ear” during the Ryder Cup.
Recently, Mcllroy gave a response to those comments.
“I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people,” McIlroy told the Guardian. “That is basically what I think of that. To get attention he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”
“It's so easy to play into narratives this week and to get swept up in this whole rivalries and Ryder Cup and whatever it is,” McIlroy said. “All I want to do is go and try and put blue points on the board. I don't care who it's against.”
It remains to be seen if they were to compete against one another, given that the team captains select the roster orders and know their opponents' roster in advance.
“I don't know if there's planning behind the scenes or whatnot,” DeChambeau said with a smile.
The greatest golf rivalries in history
Whatever happens, generating interest about prospective rivalries in the world of golf.
“I think rivalries are good for the game of golf,” DeChambeau said. “And albeit I have the ultimate respect for Rory as a player. It's going to be fun to go up against him this week.”
The Ryder Cup itself is a rivalry between the Americans and Europeans with emotions running high. Additionally, Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus, Jack Nicklaus vs. Tom Watson, Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, and Ben Hogan vs. Sam Snead propelled golf to extraordinary heights.
