Augusta, Ga. — From the fairway on Augusta National’s 15th hole, Bryson Decanbaugh had a clear look at what was going on below.
On the greenery, Rory McIlroy landed his second shot like a feather, leaving him just six feet for the Eagle. Even if he might not have the ball in, the patron roar told Deccanbeau everything he needed to know: McIlroy made his second eagle that day, which pushed him to 12 and 5 shots under 12.
It was a big deal to catch McIlroy as there were four holes left, but this was Saturday’s Masters, so the two US Open winners had one idea about his mind.
“Please join us in the final pairing.”
Deccanbo answered McIlroy’s Eagle with a birdie of 15. On hole 16, he made a short birdie putt and stopped across the pond towards the 17th fairway where McIlroy was walking.
“Rolly was moving forward a bit. He was under 12 and I was chasing a bit,” Deccanbe said. “When I made it, I looked up and said, ‘I’m still here. I’ll continue. I’m not going to retreat,” I said. ”
here we go again.
Almost ten months after a thrilling finish at the US Open at Pinehurst, placing a heartbreak at McIlroy’s plate and awarding the victory to Deccanbo, the two heading to Sunday in the major championships of Balance. This time they are in the final group together. This time I’m mastering the line.
“I think I have to remember that there is still a long way to go and that there are 18 holes,” McIlroy said after filming the low rounds of the day to lead the Deccanbeau. “I know what happens here on the last day, like anyone else.”
There is no battle between good and evil here, and there is no feud between LIV and the PGA Tour. Simply put, they are two of the best golfers in the world who are trying to take each other the game’s most coveted clothing on the biggest stage of the sport.
Their games are sometimes similar. Both can bend the course at will with the driver – they are 1-2 in a distant field this week – and they often rely on putting in to determine their approach game volatility or their score. However, to say that Dechambeau and McIlroy are opposite polarity is an understatement.
All I had to do to see the much was to see each walk from the 18th green. McIlroy made pars in his final three holes and was able to gather only a sole nod to his constituency as he was serenaded with cheers and standing ovations for his round. DeChambeau finished the round with an emotional shock to the system – a birdie putt of 48 feet to 18 – and reacted by producing a fist pump before walking down the rope line and high five everyone on their way to the scoring area.
“It’s more focused on me,” Deccanbeau said of how he interacts with his fans. “Whenever you feel like you’re going to feed the crowd, especially the customers here, they’re going to get that energy back and that’s a cool feeling.”
On golf courses (and ranges), Deccanbo chases optimum fire angles and number of ball speeds, but McIlroy continues to harp the fact that what he is aiming for is a sense of control, not a score or score.
“If I could have that feeling,” McIlroy said, “And if I could go home tonight and look in the mirror, before I went to bed, “That’s the way I want to feel when I play golf.”
Dechambeau is a showman who does everything with diplomacy and certain kinds of enthusiasm that appears to be shiny. McIlroy, by his side, is not afraid to bare anything beneath the surface. He talks about having anxious energy and writing cliché notes in his garden books to encourage himself during the rounds. He decompresses watching “Zootopia” with his daughter in the book “Bridgeton” episode of John Grisham, or as he did on Saturday morning. Deccanbo is also a man in the movie. But he’s going to see James Bond.
“Looking at my phone, I’m not having any problems with it,” said Dechambeau, who has a YouTube channel with millions of followers.
While Deccanbo talks about feeding the frenzy of those around him, McIlroy knows he has to work on Sundays and win, but also commit to his approach and attitude, where energy inevitably plays a role in the procedure.
“Tomorrow, in that final group, it’s going to be a little rough and a bit of noise,” McIlroy said. “I need to stay in my little bubble and keep my head down.”
It’s the same energy from the crowd that Dechambeau plans to accept rather than avoid, at least until he has to hit the next shot.
“That’s a lot like who I am,” Deccanbeau said. “This can say anything you want, but I’m a little different.”
Sunday provides enough stages for the differences between the two to show yourself. Still, the biggest of them are already written in the script: DeChambeau has won two since McIlroy won his last major.
There is little need to talk about the heartbreak that McIlroy has experienced. They became as much part of his story structure as the four majors he won between 2011 and 2014. On the old course of 2022, McIlroy was stuck in neutral as Cameron Smith chased him and won a jug of Clarett. At the 2023 US Open at LACC, he was unable to design a comeback that surpassed Wyndham Clark. Last year Pinehurst was the most brutal finish ever. McIlroy missed two short putts but managed to see DeChambeau beat him up and down for the PAR at 18.
Then there’s the 2011 Masters. There, just 21 years old, McIlroy had a four-shot lead towards the final round, filming an 80 and leaving empty-handed.
“It was 14 years ago,” McIlroy said when asked about the tournament. “I’m glad I had short memories.”
The paper has 18 holes between McIlroy and his career grand slam. In fact, there have been close calls and heartbreak since 11 years, and now the last giant he didn’t kill a year ago is in the way. The giant enjoys the opportunity to step into the cauldron again, keeping his foot on the pedals of his foot and playing spoilers in the encore.
“We both want to win very badly. It’s going to be an electrical vibe,” Deccanbeau said. “It’ll be the most epic stage we’ve had in a long time.”