Rory McIlroy already suffered one devastating loss to Bryson DeChambeau this year – and now the American has one-upped the Irishman again.
DeChambeau, who scored his second career U.S. Open win earlier this year when McIlroy collapsed down the stretch, used his quick wit to get another over on his foe.
While the two were on the practice range ahead of the Crypto.com Showdown, McIlroy commented that he would like to face off with DeChambeau during the event.
“I’d like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the U.S. Open,” McIlroy jokingly said.
DeChambeau was quick to reply: “To be fair, you kind of did it to yourself.”
The burn got the golfers and the crowd watching to erupt into laughter.
DeChambeau’s comment was poking fun at McIlroy’s epic failure at the U.S. Open this past June at Pinehurst No. 2.
McIlroy choked away the tournament lead on the back nine, missing a putt a little more than two feet away on No. 16 and then a putt from four feet on the final hole to finish behind DeChambeau.
A devastated McIlroy was shown watching from the clubhouse as DeChambeau clinched the major and the Brit left the course without addressing media.
This wasn’t the only trash talk taking place at the big showdown between golfers from the PGA Tour, McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, and a team from LIV Golf, DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
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Koepka landed a few good-natured verbal jabs on Monday during an open range session at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.
Koepka took aim at McIlroy’s major championship record after having gone winless in the sport’s biggest tournaments since 2014.
He was quick to point out that he –along with Scheffler and DeChambeau — notched nine titles since McIlroy’s most recent triumph.
“To be fair, I think we have won — between us and his partner — we have won nine majors,” Koepka said during an interview with CNN. “Since Rory has won his last one. So, I mean, he has not won in 10 years. It has been a long time, right?”
DeChambeau played along, saying that “it has been a while.”
They went further to reminisce where they were when McIlroy most recently won a major tournament. Koepka playfully asked DeChambeau: “What were you doing? Were you in college?”
DeChambeau nodded and said: “Yeah, I was a sophomore. Hadn’t won a college event yet.”
“OK, I was not even on the PGA Tour yet,” Koepka then added. “Scottie might have been a senior in high school. Isn’t that crazy?”