Three-time major champion Pádraig Harrington has said that Bryson DeChambeau's "ego" played a big part in a "bizarre" final round that torpedoed his US Masters hopes as he finished in a tie for fifth, four shots behind eventual champion Rory McIlroy.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s 1 Today with Claire Byrne, the Dubliner also took issue with the American’s comments afterwards about McIlroy not speaking to him on the course as Augusta witnessed one of its most famous ever rounds.
"What was he thinking on the third hole?" he said of the American, who started round 4 in the final pairing.
"Bryson has made his game by being a long hitter. He stands up on the third hole with a one-shot lead, possibly can drive the green, he lays up makes bogey; Rory drives it, hits driver up to the near the edge of the green and makes his birdie.
"It was the most bizarre change of personality I’ve ever seen in the game of golf right there in that moment...it was beyond bizarre what he did off the tee, for him in his personality. He didn’t hit a shot afterwards.
"He has different skills but his ego has gone down this road of being a long hitter and he had a chance right there on the third hole, stand up there, burst one down there, it’s a big enough area and he just gave all the momentum back to Rory.
"He has different skills but his ego has gone down this road of being a long hitter and he had a chance right there on the third hole"
"It was just a change of attitude by him. Not being yourself can be a very dangerous thing in golf."
After signing his card, DeChambeau, who pipped McIlroy to the US Open title at Pinehurst last year, seemed to take a swipe at McIlroy’s on-course demeanor.
"No idea. Didn't talk to me once all day," he replied when asked how he thought McIlroy was feeling after the win.
Questioned on whether or not he had tried to initiate conversation during the round, DeChambeau added: "He wouldn't talk to me."
The comments left Harrington puzzled.
"Bryson seems to be a little bit upset that Rory didn’t talk to him on the golf course which is bizarre because plenty of times your playing partner wouldn’t say a word to you.
"It’s not an unusual thing, to expect your playing partner to help you out by talking to you (is unusual)."
On newly-minted grand slammer McIlroy, Harrington said his ability to claim the US Masters when placed outside his comfort zone only adds to the sense of achievement.
The Holywood man missed a close-range putt on the 72nd hole to book another trip up 18 for a play-off hole with Justin Rose, but he managed to recover from that blow to claim his first major title since the 2014 US Open.
That brought McIlroy’s major haul to five and three of the previous four had a degree of comfort having won two by eight strokes and once by two, while there were big similarities to that last success prior to the weekend at Valhalla.
A birdie on the 17th 11 years ago meant that he had to par the last and, like Sunday, he found a bunker but got up and down for par – something he didn’t manage at Augusta.
More than half of McIlroy's 44 professional wins have been by more than one stroke, so Harrington feels that the golfer could only have been unfamiliar with his surroundings.
"You know what, it’s possible that Rory would not have been familiar with that," said Harrington, who won his first major via the play-off route after seeing off Sergio Garcia in the 2007 Open.
"He’s normally the best player and he’s not a person that has to stress in that situation, have that enormity of pressure.
"If I was in that situation, I’d been nervous all the way through, I would have been so nervous, nervous, nervous that it would just be another nervous shot.
"Whereas Rory, that would have been a huge surge of nervousness for him considering a lot of tournaments he wins, he doesn’t stroll away with them but he’s comfortable.
"This is one time he wasn’t comfortable so, look, in that moment (the missed putt on 18) he was just the same as every other person."
McIlroy’s career eulogy would have been one of unfulfilled potential had he not won the grand slam, or at least added another major, but now his sporting immortality is carved in granite.
Harrington believes the lifting of such a burden will only open further doors.
"Right now, for him, it’s to enjoy the moment and enjoy this and savour it and not worry about the future.
"The great thing for Rory, he has a very strong future-proof game so he will be around for a good few more years.
"He definitely could keep stretching away with majors."
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