ORLANDO, Florida – Bryson DeChambeau took the opportunity to try the green at Bay Hill Club’s sixth par-5 hole and celebrated as if he had done so on Saturday during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
DeChambeau’s drive, which crossed a huge lake, ended 50 yards to the right of the green, but ran 370 yards and rolled down the fairway to the drop. The hole measures 555 yards, and no player on the field has hit his starting shot so close to the green.
He ended up hitting a wedge shot from the hard side to the front of the green and then at two points for an easy 35-foot bird.
“I felt like a kid again, for sure. It was exciting,” DeChambeau said after a 68 left him a shot behind 54-hole leader Lee Westwood. “Especially when you get it. It was almost like winning a tournament. I had the same chills and feeling when I saw it clearly and there was no taste at all. I gave the fans what they wanted.”
DeChambeau, the reigning U.S. Open champion, the well-known diet and fitness regimen for the past 18 months has seen him gain muscle and more than 40 pounds, has become the main driver of the PGA Tour. Last year he led with an average of more than 322 yards per car.
To be able to pass the green of the shirt on Saturday, DeChambeau said he would have needed to carry 335 yards, which he did. He avoided going straight to the green due to wind conditions.
DeChambeau made a couple of attempts during Wednesday’s pro-am that fell short due to the wind. This prompted him to take a more conservative route during the first two rounds, causing some playful antics. He has observed the hole in two of the three rounds.
The spirits of the spectators behind the shirt spurred DeChambeau, he said.
“For the most part, it’s a shot I know I can do and I was able to get it,” he said. “I would have done it without the fans, but the fans definitely pushed me a little bit and it was fun to give them what they wanted.”