Rory McIlroy’s Masters win on Sunday was years in the making, but one of the stories that made plenty of headlines during the major was him giving the silent treatment to his playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau, for the final round.
Now there’s a definitive reason why McIlroy didn’t speak with DeChambeau on Sunday — it was all part of a winning strategy.
McIlroy’s sports psychologist Bob Rotella told the BBC on Tuesday that the silence had nothing to do with DeChambeau personally and was really all about winning the long-elusive green jacket.
“That didn’t have anything to do with Bryson,” Rotella told the outlet. “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.
“The point is, 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.”
DeChambeau revealed that McIlroy didn’t talk to him during the final round on Sunday after McIlroy won for the first time at Augusta National.
“He didn’t talk to me once all day,’’ DeChambeau said. “He wouldn’t talk to me. He was just like … just being focused, I guess. It’s not me, though.”
DeChambeau finished 7-under, tying for fifth.
McIlroy, meanwhile, had a rollercoaster final round that came down to a playoff with Justin Rose, with McIlroy narrowly claiming victory to grab his PGA Tour Grand Slam.
Rotella previously told The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro that the Masters win has the potential to propel McIlroy, a five-time major winner, to even more success.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rory do some more great things after this week,’’ Rotella told The Post. “It would certainly make sense that the [Masters] win was liberating in that regard and takes pressure off him.”