Harrington Thinks McIlroy Comments Part Of Bigger Bryson DeChambeau Problem

Bryson DeChambeau was expected to be Rory McIlroy's biggest rival on Sunday as the pair chased the Green Jacket. Ultimately, the 31-year-old faded from contention almost immediately, bar a brief spell in the lead over the first two holes.

DeChambeau hit the water on two separate occasions during a final round 75 which saw him finish four shots off tied leaders McIlroy and Justin Rose. As we all know, McIlroy would go on to win the sudden-death playoff to vanquish the ghosts of 2011 - and the ghosts of Pinehurst last June, when DeChambeau beat a crumbling McIlroy to the US Open title.

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The undercurrent of that final US Open round ran underneath all of the buildup to Sunday's final round, which saw DeChambeau and McIlroy paired together. It was expected that DeChambeau had the best chance of any golfer in the field of getting under McIlroy's skin but, ultimately, it was the American who faltered most on Sunday afternoon.

After the round, DeChambeau made a passing remark that gained much traction online, saying that McIlroy had not spoken to him once throughout their round together.

No idea [how McIlroy felt on the 13th]. Didn't talk to me once all day. [The atmosphere was] electric. I loved it. But he was just like -- just being focused, I guess. It's not me, though He wouldn't talk to me.

Many called out the comments, which appeared in a snippet video online, though DeChambeau did, in fairness, give credit to McIlroy for being a worthy Masters champion at last.

Analysing a compelling final day of golf at Augusta, Padraig Harrington took some umbrage with DeChambeau's comments, but felt that they were only part of a bigger problem with the two-time US Open champion's approach to the Sunday showdown.

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Padraig Harrington confused by Bryson DeChambeau's apparent McIlroy call-out

Speaking on the Indo Sport podcast, three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington was perplexed by Bryson DeChambeau's apparent call-out of Masters champion Rory McIlroy.

"Bryson coming up with this afterwards, 'He didn't talk to me,'" Harrington said, "Who does Bryson want to be?!

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"Could you imagine going out on a football pitch and saying, 'The guy marking me wasn't chatting to me, he wasn't very nice to me.

"It's one thing - a player can choose to talk, I've no problem with that. If you go back to me in the PGA, I talked the ear off Charlie Wi on the last 36 holes - but I didn't say a word to Sergio Garcia! It suited me to talk, but I ain't trying to relax the other guy.

"Bryson, that was a weird one. Clearly he was off his game but his ego...he was chasing something that he isn't. He was chasing something clever."

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That suggestion that something of an identity crisis was to blame for DeChambeau's problems on Sunday was one that Padraig Harrington would expand on.

The Dubliner suggested that DeChambeau's inexplicable change in approach on Sunday was a byproduct of this. Harrington went so far as to say DeChambeau had lost sight of what has made him such a successful golfer and had put him right in the mix to win the tournament on Sunday, instead trying to change his game.

Not to digress here, but without a doubt the biggest strategy change [on Sunday] was Bryson. Bryson DeChambeau has made himself by hitting driver, being aggressive. What was he doing laying up off the third hole? He's got a one-shot lead, he's got the tee, he could stand there and possibly drive the green. He's made his game. What was he looking for? Who was he looking to be? He changed his personality completely. The US Open hurt Bryson DeChambeau. Basically, he doesn't want to be known as a slasher who gets it up and down and can play from everywhere. He wanted to be known as a clever golfer who's got finesse. That's not who he was! I don't know if it affected Rory in the sense of...when Rory saw him layup a driver...it was weird. That was the biggest strategy I saw of the day. I couldn't believe it.

Whatever the cause of Bryson DeChambeau's turbulent Sunday at Augusta, the roles of himself and Rory McIlroy were certainly reversed from last year's debacle at Pinehurst.

No doubt Bryson will come back firing at next month's PGA Championship.

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