ORLANDO, Florida – Arnold Palmer might have given Bryson DeChambeau some curious looks. One might have wondered about DeChambeau’s single-length irons and the wild diet and all the talk about science. Surely, he would have mocked Ben Hogan’s cap.
But the late namesake of the tournament DeChambeau won Sunday at Palmer’s beloved Bay Hill Club would no doubt have given his signature to the way the reigning U.S. Open champion plays the match.
Palmer would have loved the bravery. He would have loved the brawn. He would have loved the audacity.
DeChambeau propelled his way to victory on Sunday, firing the first sizable pandemic-era gallery by launching shots into orbit. Then he went and found them. And he made enough putts to resist Lee Westwood, 47, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his eighth PGA Tour victory.
Palmer, the seventh most important champion to make Bay Hill his home since he fell in love with the place in the 1960s, was known for a break. He loved the power play and made fun of those who thought he should stop it. He was the first to admit that some tournaments ran away because his audacity got the best of him. But he never apologized.
Now, here’s DeChambeau trying to drive a par 5 on the water (Arnie could have turned those tees back on) and continues to fascinate the golf world about how he’s transformed his game and his body over the past 18 months.
“It’s great to see him,” said Westwood, who will turn 48 next month and is 20 years older than DeChambeau. “I like it. You can see his shape. He’s worked hard in the gym and he’s worked his technique to get it a lot. It’s not easy to hit him so directly while he hits you as far as he hits you. So people will have advantages, and theirs is obviously long. You can dominate a golf course. It’s fun to watch. “
Westwood, who has secured 24 European Tour victories and more than 40 professional victories, could only make fun of the sixth hole, a 555-yard par5 designed to play around a huge lake.
DeChambeau has been talking for weeks about trying to drive the green, a feature that would require a 330-yard transportation or there. On Saturday, DeChambeau celebrated as if winning the tournament when he cleared the water. It doesn’t matter that he lost the green about 70 yards to the right. His ball spanned 370 yards.
On Sunday, the unit went 377 yards to a bunker. Both days, DeChambeau made a little bird.
When it was Westwood’s turn, the television cameras were not set up to follow his momentum; it was directed too far to the right, in the way it is intended to play the hole. Westwood had a fake celebration after his trip found the street.
“Just having a little fun, you know?” Westwood said. “I think there were about 310, only 70 or 80 behind him, right?
DeChambeau’s Under-71 was one of only two points lower than the pair in the top 70 on a good, cool day. It helped him win a tournament he had hoped to capture since meeting Palmer when DeChambeau was still a fan.
It was during this meeting that Palmer gave DeChambeau some advice: sign a legible autograph so people can read it.
“That’s something I was left with and I’ve done it ever since,” he said.
Palmer, who famously drove the first green in the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open in Cherry Hills and won the bird to get his only victory in that major championship, would have been afraid of the six-shot victory. DeChambeau at Winged Foot in September.
After this breakthrough, however, DeChambeau has had problems. He entered the Masters in November as one of the favorites; he was never a factor and tied at 34th. This was not atypical. He hasn’t really fought since that U.S. Open win at Winged Foot. Last week, at The Concession’s WGC-Workday Championship, it opened with 77.
But the search continues. DeChambeau has experimented with more control shafts, optimal spin speeds and launch angles. Although the goal was to gain weight, he thought he was getting too shy; so he tried to reduce the volume of food and eat a little healthier.
Still, he plans to take the same approach at Augusta National next month: turn it around hard, play it hard. Being closer to the green has its advantages. Getting the ball into the hole here is the key to success.
In his early days playing in the Masters, Palmer was told that his low ball flight would not be successful. He remained stubborn and played his game. He won four green jackets. Palmer wouldn’t retire just because someone said he should.
This week, DeChambeau held a conversation with Palmer’s grandson and Korn Ferry Tour professional Sam Saunders. This discussion led DeChambeau to believe that the king would have approved of his approach.
“Sometimes I get in trouble with how long I’ve given it and where I’ve played it,” DeChambeau said. “But I’d say Mr. Palmer would probably like it. Sam talked to me a lot about how he thought Mr. Palmer would love what he did.”