“General Hospital.” “All My Children.” “Days of our Lives.” “Dallas.” All legendary soap operas that titillated viewers for decades. And yet, for all their twists turns, their steamy trysts and illicit rendezvous, none hold a candle to pro golf.
MORE: Ryder Cup sledging gets personal as Rory McIlroy drags Bryson DeChambeau in new interview
At this point – the year 2025, a few weeks removed from a contentious Ryder Cup that threatened to spill over into outright animosity – this thesis all but proves itself. Just take Wednesday for example. What could have (and perhaps should have) been a quiet day during golf’s autumn ebb turned into another hubbub when Bryson DeChambeau seemingly evoked Rory McIlroy’s gut-wrenching missed putt on the 18th hole of the 2024 US Open during his latest episode of ‘Break 50’ with Steph Curry.
Check it out.
From Bryson's new Break50 with Steph. Bryson can’t go one video without bringing up Rory. The Ryder Cup must’ve done permanent damage. "Remember when he missed that three-footer, guys?" Yeah, that was 486 days ago, and Rory won the Masters and an away Ryder Cup since then. pic.twitter.com/NJudbuBiSO
— Tyr Al Hatton (@6900Yards) October 15, 2025
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Something or nothing? On one hand, McIlroy and DeChambeau’s cold war has been heating up of late. Back in April, DeChambeau seemed miffed when McIlroy allegedly didn’t speak to him while playing together in the final pairing of the 2025 Masters. Ultimately, the silent treatment worked for McIlroy, who vanquished his white whale (er, green jacket), but in the week that followed, the pair’s awkward Sunday vibes became a major story, ultimately prompting McIlroy’s mental coach to chime in.
Then in the preamble to the Ryder Cup, McIlroy told the UK press that DeChambeau only ever seems to bring up his name when he’s not getting enough attention himself. McIlroy and Team Europe then rubbed salt in the wound by staging a road victory at Bethpage Black as DeChambeau went 1-3-1. Afterwards, McIlory was seen covering up DeChambeau’s name on a walkway with the European flag. Some believe that was enough to spark a retaliation.
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We remain sceptical, however. First of all, this episode seems to have been filmed before the Ryder Cup, so much of that context doesn’t apply. Plus, DeChambeau saying “other people have had tougher moments, missing three-footers and putts for major championships” seems a bit too broad to be a targeted strike. If he had said “putts for US Opens,” the pot-stirrers might have a case, but plenty of golfers have missed short putts to give away major championships. Contrary to the narrative in June 2024, McIlroy was far from the first and certainly won’t be the last. It’s also worth noting that DeChambeau puts very little inflection on his statement. It sounds more like he’s explaining his reaction to disappointment to a fellow professional athlete than trying to land a haymaker on a guy currently teeing it up half a world away.
Our two cents? This is far too speculative – and feels far too much like wish-casting from the Golf Twitter muckrakers – to hold in any real water. That doesn’t mean DeChambeau and McIlroy are best pals. They clearly aren’t. Pinehurst No.2 still looms large and both are figureheads on opposite sides of the PGA Tour–LIV Golf divide, but if you’re here because you’re thirsty for some tea, unfortunately all we’re serving today are nothingburgers.
