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“I came here as an amateur, he (Palmer) gave me an invitation and I loved this golf course the minute I arrived. I loved the atmosphere and I love the fans,” DeChambeau said. “I loved what Mr. Palmer did with this place and what he’s done, and his legacy he’s left here.”
Sunday before his round, DeChambeau also received a text from Tiger Woods, who is recovering from a single-car crash.
“Well, it was obviously personal, I would say, for the most part, but pretty much to sum it up … he texted me this morning out of the blue and I wasn’t expecting anything,” DeChambeau said. “When I got that text, I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty amazing that he is thinking of me when he’s in his tough times that he’s going through right now.’ So I just texted him. I said, ‘Keep moving forward, keep going forward. You’re going to get through it. You’re the hardest working person I’ve ever met and you’ll persevere through this pretty much.’
“One of the things that we talked about was, it’s not about how many times you get kicked to the curb, or knocked down. It’s about how many times you can get back up and keep moving forward. And I think this (champion’s) red cardigan is not only for Mr. Palmer, but I would say it’s a little bit for Tiger as well, knowing what place he’s in right now.”
Sam Saunders, Palmer’s golfing grandson, has shared with DeChambeau that his famous grandfather would have enjoyed what DeChambeau is doing, something that DeChambeau was pleased to hear. Picture Palmer giving the Great Bryson Experiment a big thumbs up. Palmer, after all, not only won tournaments (62 on the PGA TOUR), but did so in a bold go-for-broke fashion.
DeChambeau, having worked hard to add some 40 pounds and gain considerable speed and strength in his swing, is pushing the boundaries of golf. Though he hit less than driver on many holes at Bay Hill, he still led the field in driving distance (321.3 yards). And the high anticipation and buzz he created on the sixth tee both weekend days shows that DeChambeau grasps that he is more than a golfer. He is an entertainer.
“He can overpower a golf course. So it’s fun to watch, I think,” said Westwood, who pushed DeChambeau to the end, shooting 73. Westwood had his opportunities, but three-putted the par-3 14th hole for bogey and failed to birdie the par-5 16th despite having a wedge in his hands for his second shot into the par 5.
“I thought we had a good battle. I don’t think anybody was going to shoot 68 or 67,” Westwood said. “It was a day for playing sensible and hanging on and grinding out the pars.”
DeChambeau thrilled the weekend gallery once again by taking an aggressive line over the lake at the double-bender par-5 sixth – even Westwood would raise his arms triumphantly as DeChambeau’s 377-yard drive found land – leaving only 88 yards to a back-left hole location. Westwood, who had the misfortune of hitting second off that tee, ripped a drive that made him proud, but he had 256 yards left to the green. (Both players made birdies.) Westwood later joked that perhaps DeChambeau will take an even more aggressive line on the par-5 hole next year, and go “straight at the green, not chicken out.”
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Source: PGA tour
