VEDRA BEACH BRIDGE, Florida – One week later, the two main characters and the roles they play are still the same.
Only the scene – and the stakes – have changed.
Lee Westwood went from surprise to delight when his tee pulled the green island on par-3 17-remained on the top ridge, and then dripped into a 25-foot putt that led him to a 4-under 68 on Saturday at the Players Championship.
Bryson DeChambeau pumped his strong arms twice when he made a 15-foot well on the 18th hole, giving him a 67 and leaving him with 2 shots in the back and in the final group with Westwood.
That was the case last week at Bay Hill, when DeChambeau came back from a shot to beat Westwood with a draw in the final hole at Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“It’s like round 2, the rematch,” Westwood said.
Westwood, who turns 48 next month, no longer has to go to a few classes to face DeChambeau, the terrifying golfer. Unlike Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass is about position, not power.
Again, DeChambeau plays well enough for any style of golf course.
“I guess if you put Bryson here and asked him which golf course would suit him best, he’d probably say Bay Hill,” Westwood said. “You can open your shoulders a little more around Bay Hill. “This place is a little more strategic. But it’s worth Bryson. You wouldn’t associate this golf course with his style of play and he’s up there. He shows he can adapt his game.”
It is the first time that the same two players are in the final group in consecutive PGA Tour events in more than 14 years, with a big difference. It is separated by seven days. Vijay Singh and Adam Scott faced off nine weeks apart – the 2006 Tournament Championship and the opening season of the Mercedes Championship in Kapalua.
Westwood finished the round with a 5-meter well, extending his streak to 44 holes without a bogey and dropped just 2 shots this week on a stadium field where a swing can lead to a large number.
Westwood was 13 years old under 203.
“And he makes a lot of amazing putts,” DeChambeau said. “That’s what it takes to win golf tournaments.”
Westwood has 41 wins worldwide – at least one at every major tournament of the International PGA Tour Federation – and knows better than to be caught by DeChambeau, especially here.
He had the advantage of 54 holes in the Players in 2010, when 14 players were separated by 5 shots that entered the final round, and Tim Clark gathered from 3 behind to win.
Among the three shots that went back on Sunday is Justin Thomas, who started with four straight birds and closed his 64 with an iron bar that stopped a few inches away from the hole on the hair-5 16 for a stinging eagle.
Doug Ghim, who is making his debut in Players, also has 3 shots behind. He was among seven players who had at least one driving share at one point on Saturday and drove to an expensive swing on the lightest hole, par-5 16. He came very short in a bunker under a tree , tried to explode down under his limbs and grabbed the hard one and ended it with his only bogey.
Paul Casey had six birds and an eagle to make up for his mistakes in a 67, leaving him 4 shots behind with Jon Rahm (67). Also, 4 shots back is Brian Harman, who started his day by opening an eagle feather and shot 69.
Sergio Garcia is with 5 shots in the back and still can’t handle the short putts, including a 4 foot leg for the birdie who missed the bottom on the 17th at 17 He had to settle for a 72.
DeChambeau cannot explode at Sawgrass due to waterway bends and water hazards. But his power is still useful. With the shot from the tee buried in the deep right of road 18, about 210 meters away, he broke an iron just a little green and established his chance at par.
He behaved more enthusiastically about that hair than his six birds.
“You have to do them to win tournaments,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave a sour taste in my mouth.”
Westwood said this would be the biggest win of his career and, although it was sometimes when he chose not to play as a member of the European Tournament, there is no denying the strength of the pitch – 48 of the top 50 players – and the nature of a Sawgrass course where fortunes can be exchanged through a single swing.
The first prize is worth $ 2.7 million.
For DeChambeau, it’s a chance to print as a favorite as the Masters approaches, if not already. He already has two wins this season. He also knows from recent experience – seven days ago – that the way Westwood plays may not be easy.
“Mr. Coherence,” DeChambeau called him. “I mean, his leadership is impeccable, his iron play is impeccable and he stinks when he needs to. Fortunately for me last week, I managed to do the job and I think tomorrow will be an incredible battle. “