Bryson DeChambeau makes History in more ways than one at Bay Hill
Ever since Arnold Palmer passed away in September of 2016 the Arnold Palmer Invitational has become a much more sacred event on the PGA Tour. The winner receives the convicted red cardigan that Palmer was known for wearing in his playing days.
The tournament got off to a hot start this week with quite a few names atop the leaderboard after round 1. Rory Mcilroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jason Kokrak were some of the notable names that had strong starts this week. However, before the week even started Bryson DeChambeau was stirring up social media as he discussed his strategy on the iconic 6th hole at Bay Hill. The iconic hole is known for being one of the toughest driving holes on tour was it has a forced carry over water. Bryson talked about the possibility of trying to drive the green during the event after coming very close during the attempts in his practice round, this had everyone on their toes waiting to see what he would choose to do during regulation play.
Saturday was an exciting day at Bay Hill. Fan-favorite Jordan Spieth got off to a hot start going birdie-eagle after making a hole-in-one on the par 3-second hole. He would go on to shoot a -4 68 to put himself in contention for Sunday’s round. Shortly after Bryson would make his walk to the 6th tee during his 3rd round. After weather held him back from taking his wildly aggressive line the first two rounds, the clear weather was prime to a Bryson bomb. He did more than deliver, he hit his drive 370 yards which is the longest drive on the 6th hole since 2003. He would go on to also shoot a 68 in his 3rd round and found himself in the mix going into Sunday’s round.
Bryson carried his energy into Sunday while Spieth struggled in Sunday’s round. Bryson had a monumental moment once again on the 6th hole in the final round. He one-upped his drive from Saturday, taking an even more aggressive line hitting a 377-yard drive in route to a birdie. Down the stretch, it turned into a head-to-head battle between Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood. Going into the 18th hole Bryson had a one-shot lead over Westwood. After both of them found the fairway Bryson had the advantage as Westwood’s ball ended up in a divot. Both players would find the green, Bryson needing two putts to win the tournament. Bryson would cash in an 8-foot putt to clinch his 8th PGA Tour win.
