Not speaking to DeChambeau 'part of game plan'

Rory McIlroy's sports scientist Bob Rotella says it was "part of nan crippled plan" to not prosecute pinch playing partner Bryson DeChambeau during nan last information of nan Masters.

McIlroy, 35, achieved golf's profession Grand Slam connected Sunday pinch his first triumph astatine Augusta.

American DeChambeau, who narrowly hit McIlroy to triumph past year's US Open, started nan time 2 shots down his partner.

He concisely led connected Sunday aft a birdie connected nan 2nd coupled pinch McIlroy's double bogey connected nan first but yet vanished tied for fifth.

DeChambeau, who plays connected nan PGA Tour's rival LIV Golf, was asked really McIlroy was emotion aft he signed his scorecard and replied: "No idea. Didn't talk to maine erstwhile each day."

Pressed further connected whether he had tried to initiate speech during nan round, he added: "He wouldn't talk to me."

Speaking to Radio 4's Today, Rotella said: "That didn't person thing to do pinch Bryson. That was conscionable nan crippled scheme each week and we wanted to get mislaid successful it.

"We didn't want to salary attraction to what anyone other was scoring, aliases shooting, aliases swinging aliases really acold they were hitting it – we conscionable wanted Rory to play his game.

"The constituent is, if you judge you're going to win, conscionable play your crippled and presume that if you do that anyplace adjacent nan measurement you're tin of, past you will extremity up number one."

Australian golfer Min Woo Lee, classed 25th successful nan world, besides played down nan value of playing partners not talking to 1 different during a round.

"When you play successful two-ball pairings, you move truthful speedy you can't talk, and positive they are successful nan past group. Tension. Not a large deal," he posted connected societal media.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy hit England's Justin Rose successful a sudden-death play-off, aft a melodramatic last information that saw him rustle a four-shot lead astatine 1 shape and miss a par putt connected nan 18th to triumph successful regulation.

"If you watched Rory, he was very locked into his ain world. It's conscionable you and nan play people and your caddie," said Rotella.

"You get mislaid successful this world that you've made up, and play nan crippled you love. I deliberation he did a beautiful occupation of that each day. He did truthful galore things to bounce backmost clip aft time."

Part of their strategy progressive McIlroy's yardage book, which he could beryllium seen looking astatine galore times passim his round.

The book usually includes maps aliases diagrams of each spread connected nan course, but Rotella said it besides included notes of their chats.

"We would person a chat each time earlier nan round, and he would make immoderate notes, and each mates of holes, he would return a look astir to punctual yourself. That's what he was looking at," he added.

Explaining nan psychology further, Rotella said that aft a disappointment a subordinate should purpose to make nan "next changeable your champion shot".

"We statesman pinch nan thought that golf, by design, is simply a crippled of mistakes, and if you emotion golf, you person to emotion nan mistakes," he said.

"You person to punctual them that different players are playing nan aforesaid game, and they will besides each make mistakes.

"The 2nd portion is knowing that you are a quality being, you're going to make mistakes. Human beings person a free will, and that intends we get to take really we deliberation and respond to each nan crazy things that hap to america connected nan play people and successful life."

After his triumph, McIlroy said that yet completing nan profession Grand Slam will "free him up" for much occurrence and Rotella echoed those sentiments.

Having won nan US Open, The Open and 2 US PGA Championships by nan extremity of 2014, McIlroy has completed nan afloat group of awesome championships astatine nan 11th attempt.

Rotella said that winning nan Masters would return a "burden disconnected his back", adding: "My conjecture is that he will spell connected and triumph rather a fewer more, I deliberation he's reasoning of having a aggregate triumph season."

The adjacent awesome is nan US PGA astatine Quail Hollow successful May and is followed by June's US Open, earlier The Open astatine Royal Portrush successful his autochthonal Northern Ireland successful July.

As good arsenic nan Masters, McIlroy has won nan Players Championship and Pebble Beach Pro-Am title since February.

Rotella said "it's going to beryllium a batch of nosy to spot really galore much he tin win".

"His twelvemonth is disconnected to awesome start, now he's sewage a chance to person nan top twelvemonth he's ever had. He's getting reliable mentally and emotionally, and that's specified a large portion of it - you've sewage to person will that's for illustration steel."