[Photo: Harry How]
Golf has kept us guessing over the past five years. There was the sudden birth (and agonising death) of LIV Golf. There was world No.1 Scottie Scheffler getting arrested while entering the grounds of a major championship. There was an away Ryder Cup upset, wholesale leadership changes at the highest levels of the PGA Tour and a little amateur invitational from Barstool Sports, which somehow became the biggest thing in golf. One thing, however, has remained steadfast, sturdy, a towering stone in the middle of a raging river:
Controversy surrounding Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau has been quiet by his standards lately, but fellow pros still can’t keep his name out of their mouths. Brooks Koepka recently made comments about his former nemesis, and at the DP World Tour Championship on Tuesday, McIlory spoke out about DeChambeau when asked what the current free agent might potentially bring to the DP World Tour should he join.
“I think a name like Bryson DeChambeau and everything he brings with him, good and bad, he brings eyeballs, which is a good thing for tournaments,” McIlroy told reporters. “I’m certainly not in his shoes, nor would I ever want to be, but it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options. You know, if he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options.”
RELATED: Jon Rahm wants people to ‘stop blaming LIV’ for his major struggles
“Good and bad,” “I’m certainly not in his shoes, nor would I ever want to be,” “It doesn’t seem like he’s got many options.” Those are not things you would say about a peer you like and respect. But this is no surprise. McIlroy and DeChambeau have been mired in a cold war of words since DeChambeau spoke publicly about McIlroy ignoring him during the final round of the 2025 Masters (which McIlroy would go on to win).
In the build-up to the Ryder Cup that year, McIlroy told The Guardian that “the only way [DeChambeau] gets attention is by mentioning other people… To get attention he will mention me or Scottie Scheffler or others.” A few days later at Bethpage Black, McIlroy was seen draping an EU flag over DeChambeau’s name en route to an emphatic victory.
This July, after DeChambeau’s high-profile rules fiasco at the Open Championship, McIlroy didn’t mince words. “I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him,” McIlroy said. “I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention. To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”
McIlroy’s comments in Dubai yesterday were far from his boldest, but it’s pretty clear where he stands. While golf fans might be excited by the prospect of Bryson bombing it across Europe next season, McIlroy won’t be rolling out the red carpet for his former LIV foe.
RELATED: DP World Tour Q-School upholds DQ of young pro for damaging green
