Neither Rory McIlroy nor Bryson DeChambeau emerged victorious at The Open Championship, but their rivalry was reignited.
And that was thanks to the Northern Irishman, who didn’t hold back in his latest assessment of the American.
DeChambeau finished T14 at Royal Birkdale, but he stole much of the limelight after being handed a two-shot penalty on day two.
McIlroy slammed DeChambeau for threatening to leave the tournament following his punishment, which caused a delay in the publishing of the third round tee times.
The LIV Golf superstar did indeed return to play at The Open Championship, where McIlroy disappointingly finished in a tie for 40th.
He did, however, at least manage to win one significant battle with his nemesis DeChambeau throughout the week at Royal Birkdale.
Rory McIlroy comfortably wins driving battle with Bryson DeChambeau at The Open
Two golfers with a lot to say on and off the course, McIlroy and DeChambeau pride themselves on their ability off the tee.
And it was indeed the PGA Tour man who won that battle in Southport, finishing at the very top of the rankings for Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee.
The Northern Irishman led the way with his figure of +7.982, well ahead of Aldrich Potgieter in second with +5.439.
Meanwhile, DeChambeau ranked down in 19th place with his figure of +2.496, and was even behind the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler.
Moreover, McIlroy and DeChambeau are two of the biggest hitters in the game, with the former again winning that clash.
His driving distance figure of 339.3 yards ranked first among the entire field, with the latter 10th for his total of 323.8 yards.
The six-time major winner also had the third-longest drive of the tournament (389.2 yards), with DeChambeau’s 373.8-yard effort ranked in 29th.
Of course, driving accuracy also comes into play, but again it was McIlroy who trumped his rival, although neither really impressed.
He is ranked T67 with 50%, having hit 28/56 fairways, compared to DeChambeau’s 37.5% way down in 143rd, for 21/56.
It is, however, certainly worth noting that the American opted to use the club more often, hitting driver 36/56 times compared to 30/56 for the Northern Irishman.
Read more: Rory McIlroy suggests if he actually wants Bryson DeChambeau to play the Irish Open or not
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