Bryson DeChambeau made his opinion on Rory McIlroy clear after Masters 'beef'

Bryson DeChambeau has cleared the air about his relationship with , insisting there's no "beef" after the Northern Irish golfer gave him the silent treatment during .

The star and his counterpart were teamed up for the final round at , where noticed McIlroy didn't utter a single word to him. Despite the lack of conversation, the 31-year-old stressed that there was no animosity involved, dismissing any speculation of tension between them.

Speaking to Athlon Sports, DeChambeau said: "He was just being stoic the whole day; there was nothing more. I was like, he just didn't talk to me. It wasn't a slight; there's no beef or anything.

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"It was like what did to Tony [Finau, in 2019]. It's the same combo, but it wasn't meant to be in a bad way, and that's how things happen. I wish people would not interpret things, but, you know, people will do that."

Bob Rotella, McIlroy's sports psychologist, also weighed in on the matter during an interview with Radio 4, emphasizing that McIlroy's silence was part of a deliberate strategy to stay present in the game. He said: "That didn't have anything to do with Bryson, that was just the game-plan all week and we wanted to get lost in it.

"We didn't want to pay attention to what anyone else was scoring, or shooting, or swinging or how far they were hitting it – we just wanted Rory to play his game. If you believe you're going to win, just play your game and assume that if you do that anywhere near the way you're capable of, then you will end up number one," reports .

McIlroy rolled into last Sunday's showdown at Augusta with a cool two-stroke lead over DeChambeau at 12-under-par. Yet securing the coveted Green Jacket wasn't a walk in the park for the 35-year-old golfer.

McIlroy looked all set for victory when the spectre of tension reared its head with a double bogey horror at the 13th, compounded by further slips-ups at the 11th, 14th, and dire 18th. The grand finale unfolded as McIlroy and headed to a nerve-wracking play-off, both gunning for triumph on the 18th once more, finding the green neatly in two.

But it was McIlroy who nosed ahead, his shot landing significantly closer than Rose's. Under pressure, Rose could only watch his 15-foot effort stray off path, punching in for par.

Master of his nerves, McIlroy, merely three feet out, nailed the birdie putt, dropping to his knees as more than a decade of anticipation melted away in an instant of victory. Meanwhile, DeChambeau concluded the tournament tied for fifth, tumbling down the board in the final round, yet he didn't refrain from praising McIlroy's remarkable triumph.

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He said: "He deserved this one. He fought his butt off and absolutely did what he needed to do to win. It looks scary sometimes, but it was a rollercoaster for everybody. And, you know, we gave everybody a rollercoaster last year at the . He did it this year at the Masters. So, it was fun to be a part of history."

McIlroy has been welcomed into an esteemed club that includes , , , , and Tiger Woods by sealing his career Grand Slam and snagging the coveted Green Jacket. With this addition, his trophy collection now boasts a Masters, a US Open, an , and two wins.

Nonetheless, the ghosts of his near-miss at the US Open just ten months ago still may loom large, where heartbreak at Pinehurst No. 2 saw him overtaken by the same competitor he played with on Sunday. It seemed almost certain that McIlroy would clinch the 2024 US Open, yet a regrettable trio of bogeys on the final holes let DeChambeau sweep past him to victory by the slenderest of margins.

With the RBC Heritage out of his schedule this weekend, McIlroy's sights are firmly set on expanding his current five-major victory tally at the upcoming PGA Championship at Quail Hollow come May.