Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy have already kickstarted the trash-talk ahead of their showdown.
PGA Tour stars McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will go head-to-head with DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who both play on the LIV Golf circuit, in the Crypto.com Showdown at 6pm ET Tuesday.
The matchup, which includes a prize pot of $10million worth of cryptocurrency, is being billed as an unofficial LIV vs PGA Tour clash.
However, for McIlroy, the rivalry runs deeper to a slightly more personal level following this year’s US Open.
The Northern Irishman imploded over the final few holes of the major championship at Pinehurst, with DeChambeau ultimately sealing his second major title.
And the pair couldn’t resist exchanging a couple of digs over the final round while on the driving range Monday.
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy (L) kickstarted the trash-talk ahead of their showdown
McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will go head-to-head with DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka
‘I’d like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the US Open,’ McIlroy quipped.
DeChambeau replied: ‘To be fair, you kind of did it to yourself.’
Holding a two-shot lead during the final round of June’s major , McIlroy carded three bogeys across the final five holes – missing two putts from a combined distance of seven feet.
He fled the course a matter of minutes after Bryson DeChambeau wrapped up victory and announced less than 24 hours later that he wouldn’t be back at a tournament until the Tour descended on Scotland for the Genesis Scottish Open in July.
In a statement on social media, McIlroy said: ‘Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.
‘Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
‘As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.
‘As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have.
The PGA Tour star suffered an agonizing implosion during the final round of the US Open
DeChambeau went on to seal his second major championship at the US Open
‘The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.
‘I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defense of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.’
His US Open choke, which extended his decade-long major victory drought, came amid a turbulent time off the course too.
On the eve of the US Open, he announced he was calling off the divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
It was only a month prior, before the PGA Championship in May, that McIlroy announced that he and Erica were to split due to their marriage being ‘irretrievably broken’.
