Arnold Palmer rose to fame with an unconventional golf swing so it made perfect sense that on a tough Sunday at Bay Hill, driver-crushing, rough-conquering, golf history-studying, Arnold Palmer-loving Bryson DeChambeau came through to win Palmer’s tournament.
DeChambeau, the PGA Tour’s most unconventional player, battled tough conditions and a tough opponent in veteran Lee Westwood on his way to a one-shot victory on a day when just three players in the field managed to break par. DeChambeau was one of them and his 71 earned him a nervous, one-shot victory over the game Westwood.
Bryson had Westy out-muscled and out-gunned yet Westwood, 20 years older than DeChambeau, hung tough all day. Westwood started the day with a precarious one-shot lead over DeChambeau and that lead grew to two shots when DeChambeau opened with a bogey to drop back to nine-under par. That was DeChambeau’s first and only bogey on a windy day where the firm greens gave fits to some accomplished players.
Jordan Spieth was in contention again but shot 75. Rory McIlroy was just four shots off Westwood’s lead to start the day but he shot 76. Tommy Fleetwood, one of Europe’s best, carded 77 and Keegan Bradley went from a dazzling 64 on Saturday to 78 on Sunday. It was that kind of day.
Corey Conners held on for a while but eventually fell by the wayside with Spieth and the rest, leaving it to DeChambeau and Westwood as that final pairing turned into a match play contest over the final nine holes. At the turn, Westwood was sitting at 10-under, DeChambeau at 11. Even with his huge length advantage off the tee, DeChambeau was unable to muster any birdies over the final nine holes.
Westwood pulled even with Bryson with a birdie at the par five 12th but gave it back with a bogey at the par three 14th. Westwood had a golden opportunity at the short par five 16th. It was a hole where DeChambeau could reach with a pitching wedge but the tour’s longest driver pulled his tee shot and it ended in a nasty spot, just six inches from the lip of the left fairway bunker. He had no choice but to pitch out. Westwood hit a perfect drive and had just 159 yards, downwind, to the hole. It was then that Westwood hit a miserable approach that ended up well short of the green. His pitch rolled seven feet past the hole. With Bryson looking to settle for par, it was the English star’s opportunity to tie it up with two holes to play. But Westwood’s putter failed him, as it has so many times in his decorated career.
Both parred 17 and there was a spot of drama at the 18th where Westwood left himself a seven-footer for par and DeChambeau, from 40 feet, got too frisky and rolled his five-and-a-half feet past the hole. Westwood converted his then stepped back to see if Bryson could handle the heat. DeChambeau hit a perfect putt and picked up his eight PGA Tour win and this one meant a lot to him.
Palmer gave DeChambeau an invitational to Bay Hill when Bryson was still an amateur. “I don’t know what to say,” DeChambeau said after he holed the winning putt. “To win Mr. Palmer’s event means the world to me. I think about him and I’m gonna cry.”
DeChambeau also revealed that he was inspired by a text message from Tiger Woods before he started the final round. “He (Tiger) texted me this morning out of the blue and I wasn’t expecting anything. When I got that text, I’m like, wow, that’s pretty amazing that he is thinking of me when he’s in his tough times that he’s going through right now. So I just texted him, I said, ‘Keep moving forward, keep going forward. You’re going to get through it. You’re the hardest working person I’ve ever met and you’ll persevere through this pretty much.’ One of the things that we talked about was, it’s not about how many times you get kicked to the curb or knocked down. It’s about how many times you can get back up and keep moving forward. And I think this red cardigan is not only for Mr. Palmer, but I would say it’s a little bit for Tiger as well, knowing what place he’s in right now.”
One of DeChambeau’s prized possession is a letter Palmer sent him when Bryson earned his Tour card. He has it framed on the wall of his home.
DeChambeau pay a lot of attention to the history of the game’s best players and he once gave this observation on Arnold Palmer:
“Arnold Palmer did more than golf. He changed lives.”
And with that understanding of The King, the Arnold Palmer Invitational’s 2021 champion was the right man to slip on the red cardigan.
Arnold Palmer Invitational Scoreboard:
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Bryson certainly walked the talk at Arnie’s Place.
Maybe Arnie never intended people to drive that green but the fact Bryson can now makes that the best hole Mr Palmer ever made. Imo.
Even if distances are dialed back that hole should always be set up where the longest of longest can make it on if they are bold and accurate enough.
Bryson certainly was. He was the star human this week. But like 10th at riviera; this hole is ready for it’s close up. Arnie may not have known but put enough integrity into the hole just in case.
The par 5 is just quirky enough around the green to hold up to Bryson; his overall score on 6 was nothing special, if not disappointing.
Speaking of disappointment….Westwood.
Yes the English legend hung tough but hole 16 man.
Once the premier iron player missed the green from a buck 50 it was evident the choke was on.
Westys chipping has improved but not enough to stick that routine shot close. The putting has also improved but not enough to knock that puppy in.
Technique helps players get in the game more; but clutch ness is still everything baby.
Bryson has changed a lot over the years but since he won the ncaa and Us Am in the same year, this man always been clutch.
But since dominating the US Open on a track seemingly unprepared for Bryson, it’s been mostly a whole lot of big talk from the big man.
But now we know why the man can talk such a big game.
Like Arnie and Tiger, Bryson proved at Arnie’s —a better test than the Last US Open imo — that he knows how to finish tournaments with the best of em.
Please keep talking Bryson.
Tom Edrington
You were thinking the same as me when Westy botched that second into 16, downwind, probably a stock nine-iron, did he try and hit a hard PW? That’s the hole that lost him a shot at winning….