ORLANDO, Florida. Arnold Palmer could have given Bryson DeChambeau a questioning look. One might have wondered about DeChambeau’s one-length beasts and about the wild diet and all the discussions about science. He would certainly have made fun of Ben Hogan’s cap.
But the late namesake of the tournament, DeChambeau, won on Sunday at Palmer’s beloved Bay Hill Club, would undoubtedly have given his signature to the way the current US Open champion is performing.
Palmer would have loved bravado. He would have liked the stretch. He would have loved madness.
DeChambeau propelled his way to victory on Sunday, launching the first sizable pandemic-era gallery, launching photos into orbit. Then he went and found them. And he did enough to stop 47-year-old Lee Westwood from the Arnold Palmer Invitation to Eighth PGA Tour victory.
Palmer, the seven-time major champion who made Bay Hill his home since falling in love with the place in the 1960s, was known to have left twice. He liked the game of power and mocked those who thought they should control it. He was the first to admit that several tournaments failed, because his audacity got the best of him. But he never apologized.
Now, DeChambeau is trying to drive a hair 5 over the water – Arnie could have moved those tees back – and continues to mesmerize the golf world about how he has transformed his game and body in the last 18 months.
“It’s great to watch,” said Westwood, who turns 48 next month and is 20 years older than DeChambeau. “I like. You can see its shape. She worked hard in the gym and worked on her technique to achieve it a lot. It is not easy to hit him so hard, as he hits him as much as he hits him. So people will have advantages – and his is obviously long. It can overwhelm a golf course. It’s fun to watch. ”
Westwood, who has 24 wins in the European tournament and more than 40 professional victories, could only have fun in the sixth hole, a 555-yard par-five designed to play around a huge lake.
DeChambeau has been talking for weeks about trying to drive the green, a shot that would require a 330-yard transport or there. On Saturday, DeChambeau celebrated as if he had won the tournament when he cleaned the water. It doesn’t matter that he missed the green about 70 meters to the right. His ball traveled 370 meters.
On Sunday, the road went 377 meters into a bunker. On both days, DeChambeau made a bird.
When it was Westwood’s turn to strike, the television cameras were not ready to follow his lead; it was pointed too far to the right, the way the hole was intended to be played. Westwood had a mock celebration after his road found the fairway.
“You’re just having a little fun with this, you know?” Westwood said. “I think I was there around 310 – just 70 or 80 behind him, right?”
DeChambeau’s 1-under 71 was one of two under-the-top scores in the top 70 on a pleasant day. It helped him win a tour that he had hoped to capture since meeting Palmer here, when DeChambeau was still an amateur.
During that meeting, Palmer gave DeChambeau some advice: Sign a legible autograph so people can read it.
“That stayed with me and I’ve done it ever since,” he said.
Palmer, who led the famous green in the final round of the 1960 US Open in Cherry Hills and got birds for his only win at that major championship, would have been amazed by DeChambeau’s six-shot victory at Winged Foot in September.
However, after that major discovery, DeChambeau fought. He entered the Masters in November as one of the favorites; he was never a factor and tied for 34th. This was not an abnormal appearance. He didn’t really argue with the US Open victory at Winged Foot. Last week, at The WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession, it opened with 77.
But the search continues. DeChambeau experimented with several drive shafts, optimal rotational speeds and launch angles. Even though the goal was to add weight, he thought he was blushing too hard; so he sought to reduce the volume of food and eat a little healthier.
However, he plans to take the same approach at Augusta National next month: Swing hard, hit it away. Being closer to green has its advantages. Putting the ball in the hole there is the key to success.
In his early days playing Masters, Palmer was told that the little ball would fail. He remained stubborn and played his game. He won four green jackets. Palmer wasn’t going to come back just because someone said he should.
This week, DeChambeau had a conversation with Palmer’s nephew and Korn Ferry Tour teacher Sam Saunders. This discussion led DeChambeau to believe that the King would have approved of his approach.
“I get into trouble sometimes with the length of time I hit him and where I hit him,” DeChambeau said. “But I would say that Mr. Palmer would probably like it. Sam told me quite a bit about how he thought Mr. Palmer would like what I do. “