Just at last year’s U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau edged Rory McIlroy by a single stroke at Pinehurst. Rory had the lead into the final holes but let it slip with missed putts on 16 and 18. Then at the Masters this year, when the stakes couldn’t have been higher on Championship Sunday, DeChambeau faltered, his iron play shaky, a final-round 75 that knocked him out of contention. While McIlroy, cool and determined, surged in the playoff to capture that long-desired Green Jacket. So Ryder Cup 2025 might well be their next big chapter, especially when the Irishman may already have thrown the first punch. 

Speaking to Ewan Murray of The Guardian, McIlroy couldn’t help but laugh when DeChambeau’s latest bravado was brought up. Only a few months ago at Augusta, the American had folded while McIlroy surged to his long-sought Masters title. Now, somewhat oddly, DeChambeau was telling anyone who’d listen that he planned to “chirp in the ear” of the Ulsterman at Bethpage Black. Murray’s mention of those remarks drew a wry smile from McIlroy, who promptly sharpened his answer. “I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people,” he said. “That is basically what I think of that. To get attention, he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”

DeChambeau might be a two-time major winner, but he is also a golf influencer. He’s built a following with his Break 50 video series, inviting celebrities and athletes, including Tom Brady and Paige Spiranac, to try scoring under 50 from forward tees. Some episodes have drawn millions of views, the Trump installment going viral almost immediately. The series shows a side of DeChambeau that operates outside standard tournament play and highlights how much of his public profile is tied to visibility and engagement. This context helps explain why rivals like McIlroy interpret his behavior on the course as seeking attention in addition to competing. A great example of DeChambeau trying and failing to steal the show came at LIV Golf Dallas 2025.

After leading Crushers GC to a commanding team victory, DeChambeau seized the spotlight in a manner only he could. Storming the stage during a Whiskey Myers concert, he grabbed the mic and bellowed, “Go Crushers… Let’s have some fun tonight!” To him, it was a triumphant roar; to the fans, it was cringeworthy. The backlash was swift and unforgiving. Golf enthusiasts took to social media, and even PGA Tour pro Byeong Hun An couldn’t hold back, calling the stunt “cringe as f” in a tweet that resonated with many. This wasn’t DeChambeau’s first foray into controversy. 

Earlier in 2025, at Augusta, he reignited tensions with Rory McIlroy by claiming that McIlroy hadn’t spoken to him during their round. McIlroy, ever the competitor, retorted that he was focused and that he’s “not going to try and be his best mate out there.” Their rivalry, simmering beneath the surface, is poised to boil over at the upcoming Ryder Cup, with the stage set for a showdown at Bethpage Black, with 50,000 fans expected daily.

Amid it all, former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart even cautioned Team Europe’s families against attending due to potential hostility from the crowd. In practice sessions leading up to the event, McIlroy and his teammates have incorporated a high-tech twist that could give Europe an edge in the mental battles awaiting them at Bethpage Black.

Will Rory McIlroy win the mind games against Bryson DeChambeau at Bethpage?

McIlroy isn’t leaving anything to chance when it comes to the mind games. Ahead of the Ryder Cup, he revealed that the European team has been using virtual reality headsets designed to simulate the full sensory experience of playing at Bethpage, complete with rowdy fans and harsh verbal abuse. “It is just to simulate the sights and sounds and noise,” McIlroy explained. “That’s the stuff that we are going to have to deal with. So it’s better to try to de-sensitize yourself as much as possible before you get in there. You can get them to say whatever you want them to say. So you can go as close to the bone as you like.” The idea is clear: prepare the mind even before the body steps on the course.

With five players who have never competed at Bethpage and the memory of a European team decimated by American fans in 2021 still fresh, the VR headsets allow McIlroy and company to rehearse focus under pressure in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago. At the same time, it offers McIlroy a psychological leg up against DeChambeau, whose reputation for theatrics and crowd engagement could be a double-edged sword once Europe is mentally prepared. But, even with all this preparation, McIlroy admits that simulation can only go so far. 

“You can wear all the VR headsets you want and do all the different things we’ve been trying to do to get ourselves ready, but once the first tee comes on Friday, it’s real, and we just have to deal with whatever’s given,” he said. The challenge is as much mental as it is physical: countering DeChambeau’s flair, staying composed amid rowdy fans, and finding the inner calm that could turn every mind game into an advantage for Europe.