The drama surrounding Rory McIlroy’s much-discussed Masters week took another turn when Bryson DeChambeau recently shared that McIlroy barely spoke to him at Augusta. Now, Justin Thomas, one of McIlroy’s closest friends on Tour, is weighing in — and he’s not holding back.
During a candid interview this week, Thomas was asked directly about DeChambeau’s claim that McIlroy gave him the cold shoulder at Augusta National. Thomas, never one to sugarcoat his feelings, responded honestly:
“I mean, what did he expect? Rory’s not fake. If something’s wrong or if he doesn’t like how things have gone down, he’s not gonna pretend everything’s great.”
Thomas went on to suggest that McIlroy’s coolness wasn’t random, but a reflection of deeper tensions stemming from the past few years — namely, the divide between LIV Golf players like DeChambeau and PGA Tour loyalists like McIlroy.
“You can’t go out there, make your choices, say whatever you want about the Tour, and then act surprised when people don’t welcome you with open arms,” Thomas added. “That’s not how it works.”
Without diving too deep into LIV vs. PGA politics, Thomas made it clear that McIlroy wasn’t being rude for the sake of it — but rather staying true to his principles.
“Rory’s one of the most respectful guys out here. If he’s distant with you, there’s usually a reason.”
The comment comes after DeChambeau said in an earlier interview that it was “sad” McIlroy barely acknowledged him during Masters week, describing the situation as “awkward.” While DeChambeau seemed to want to patch things up, Thomas’s reaction suggests that not everyone feels it’s time to move on so easily.
For now, it seems McIlroy is staying silent — but with friends like Thomas ready to defend him, he might not need to say anything at all.
