ORLANDO, Florida: Everyone likes the long ball.
In all sports. The 80-yard touchdown pass to football. The house makes tape measure in baseball. The half court rises to basketball. And, of course, the long golf trips.
Years ago, John Daly attracted so many eyeballs to his game because it hit him more than anyone in the game. Then came Tiger Woods and it was longer than anyone.
Today’s fascination with golf is Bryson DeChambeau, who last year drew a lot of attention to growing up and going crazy for a long time.
All week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill, DeChambeau had made fun of everyone about his intention to try to drive the green over a large lake in the 555-yard sixth par5 hole.
In his Wednesday practice round, he tried it twice and came out short in the wind. The wind didn’t help enough in the first two rounds for him to try it on Thursday and Friday, though the spectator insisted every time he reached the sixth tee.
However, in Saturday’s third round, DeChambeau gave the crowd what they wanted, grabbing an aggressive line over the lake and landing his shot to the right of the green, a shot that went about 370 feet ungodly.
As soon as the ball came out of his driver’s club face, DeChambeau knew he had scored, raising his arms in victory.
The spectators, who threw bananas at DeChambeau’s shot. But they were not the only observers interested.
Jordan Spieth, who played the first two rounds with DeChambeau and said publicly that he was baffled that DeChambeau would not do what he did on Saturday Thursday or Friday, played at number 7 just ahead of DeChambeau and stopped on his way to on the green to see the shot on the shirt, pointing to his caddy, Michael Greller, where he landed the ball.
Rory McIlroy, playing a hole behind DeChambeau, stopped and watched the shot.
As it turned out, DeChambeau hit the shot so well, he could have taken an even more aggressive line on the green and driven the green. His starting shot landed to the right of the green, stretched to the front of the green and made two glasses for the birdie to tie the leader at the time.