Bryson DeChambeau once opened up on how proud he was to have had Rory McIlroy say that he was inspired by the American’s approach to the game.

Of course, McIlroy and DeChambeau have become rivals in recent years. The Northern Irishman, in particular, has made no secret of the fact that he is not a fan of the two-time US Open winner as a person.

However, McIlroy was more than happy to highlight how impactful DeChambeau’s victory at Winged Foot in 2020 had been on him.

DeChambeau won his first major title in some style. He was the only player to break par for the week, finishing six shots clear of anyone else in New York. And he did it by being extremely aggressive off the tee.

McIlroy admitted afterwards that it forced him to rethink his approach. Obviously, the US Open is traditionally the major where you need to find the vast majority of fairways to stand any chance of winning. But DeChambeau was quite happy to simply get as far down the hole as possible.

And speaking on the Off Course podcast in 2021, DeChambeau outlined how much it meant to him to have McIlroy follow his lead.

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“Honestly, I was honoured,” he said.

“He was somebody I looked up to in college and the latter part of high school. He was a dude that really didn’t look that big and he hit it forever and I wanted to be like that. I was like ‘woah, if I can do that that’d be amazing.’”

“He’s been pretty injury-free, which is impressive. He’s done it right. He’s done a lot of great things. That in itself should be a lesson: Even if you’re not as big you can still hit it far, if you train really hard.”

The history of the rivalry between Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau

It would not be long before any relationship between McIlroy and DeChambeau deteriorated. The latter quickly became a poster boy for LIV Golf, particularly as he had initially confirmed his plans to stay with the PGA Tour.

It added some extra spice to their duel at the 2024 US Open, which DeChambeau won. McIlroy, playing in the group ahead, made a needless bogey on 16 before dropping a shot on the final hole. That left the stage clear for DeChambeau to get across the line.

A distraught McIlroy decided to leave the course almost as soon as the winning putt dropped.

They were both involved in The Showdown later that year, representing their respective tours. There was a slightly awkward moment on the range beforehand where DeChambeau responded to McIlroy’s comment about wanting to get revenge for what happened at Pinehurst.

Ultimately, McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler won that match comfortably.

There was a dream scenario at The Masters in 2025, with McIlroy and DeChambeau playing in the final group together on Sunday.

While McIlroy ended up winning, DeChambeau made headlines for seemingly being upset that his playing partner did not speak to him all day. Unsurprisingly, McIlroy had little time for those complaints given what was at stake.

McIlroy would make his feelings known about DeChambeau during the celebrations at the Ryder Cup, as he draped a European flag over the sign that had the LIV star’s name on it.

And when DeChambeau received a penalty at The Open Championship in 2026, McIlroy took the opportunity to inform the media of his dislike for his rival. He suggested that a lot of his antics are performative.

It is likely that both players will regret some of their actions along the way as this rivalry has become more intense. However, there is no question that the game benefits from two of the most well-known stars not seeing eye to eye.