Bryson DeChambeau has warned Rory McIlroy he is ‘not going to back down’ ahead of the pair’s intriguing final-round battle at the Masters.
McIlroy, 35, leads the Masters field by two shots going into the fourth and final round at Augusta National following a stunning third-round surge.
The Northern Irishman’s Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose had been in front after rounds one and two but dropped back to joint-sixth following a poor Saturday.
McIlroy was at his scintillating best during an entertaining third round, making a six-under par 66 to surge into the lead as he looks to finally win the Masters and secure a career grand slam.
His lead could have been even bigger but American DeChambeau enjoyed a fantastic finish to finish on -10 and cut the lead to two.
Both of DeChambeau’s major wins have come at the US Open but he will try to secure the green jacket for the first time on Sunday.
Speaking after a three-under par 69 in his third round, the Texan said: ‘Rory was kind of moving forward. He was at 12-under, and I was kind of chasing a bit.
‘When I made that [birdie putt on 16], I looked up and I said, kind of as a statement: “Like, you know what, I’m still here. I’m going to keep going. I’m not going to back down”.
‘Is there such a thing as overnight momentum? Yeah, for sure. I think there’s a bit of it. Is it going to be the full reason why I play well or not my best tomorrow? No. But there is momentum.’
It looks set to be a shootout between McIlroy and DeChambeau for the green jacket, with Canada’s Corey Conners currently third on -8.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aaberg and America’s Patrick Reed are sitting six behind McIlroy on -6, while world number one Scottie Scheffler is another shot back following a level-par third round.
Looking ahead to a mouth-watering final day at Augusta, DeChambeau said: ‘It will be the grandest stage that we’ve had in a long time, and I’m excited for it.
‘We both want to win really, really badly. Shoot, there’s a lot of great players behind us, too. We’ve got to be mindful of that.
‘It’s about who can control themselves and who can execute the golf shots the best. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere.
‘I think it’s fun, a feeling like you have to hit every single shot to the best of your ability, and you can’t let off the gas pedal.
‘You just have to focus and play the absolute best golf you possibly can. When you’re leading, it’s a little different. I’ve had those times, as well.
‘You attack that a little differently. But for me, I’ll be chasing tomorrow. It will be a fun test.’
DeChambeau, known as The Scientist due to his analytical approach to the sport, has never finished in the top-five at the Masters.
Asked how he would prepare for the Sunday’s final round, the 31-year-old said: ‘For me, it’s going to be practicing a little bit before it gets dark.
‘Eating, looking at my phone. I don’t have a problem with that. And just getting treatment on my body. Relaxing as much as possible.
‘Watching a movie, probably, tonight. A fun movie. It will probably be a James Bond movie or something like that. That will be fun.
‘Tomorrow morning, I’ll probably go to bed late and get up around 10am and see how the course is playing and go from there.’
McIlroy, meanwhile, said he intended to ‘stay in my bubble’ on the final day of the Masters and try not to be sucked into a shootout with big-hitting DeChambeau.
The Northern Irishman is looking to complete a career grand slam having finished second at the 2022 Masters and throwing away a four-shot lead in the 2011 tournament.
‘I think the big thing is to not make it a re-match,’ he said. ‘Stay in my own little world. Stay in my cocoon, in my little bubble. Keep my head down.
‘I have to put myself in my own world and concentrate on myself and set myself a score. If I can set myself a target and achieve it, hopefully that will be enough.
‘He will do what he does – I have to stay firm and stay in my own little bubble. I have a few little notes written in the back of my yardage book that I glance at every now and again while I’m walking the fairway.
‘Just little reminders. Little, you know, one or two-sentence things. I mean, all the cliche mantras that you’ve heard before, really.’
The final pairing of the Masters will be Team Europe vs Team USA but McIlroy has plenty of fans at Augusta.
‘It’s amazing to have the support,’ he said. These patrons and these galleries are a pleasure to play in front of, each and every year we come back.
‘They are some of the most knowledgeable golf patrons or spectators that we play in front of. It’s amazing to have the support.’
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