DGS49
Diamond Member
DeChambeau outduels Westwood for Bay Hill win
Bryson DeChambeau received a text message Sunday morning from Tiger Woods to keep fighting, good advice for a final round that turned out to be the toughest at Bay Hill in 41 years.
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It was what has become the usual Sunday sleep-fest on the PGA tour. The leaders strive to shoot par and hope nobody pulls a diamond out of his ass from the field...and that's the way you win these days. Isn't it sad that the golf headline on Monday almost invariably includes the verb, "outlast," indicating a boring day and finish. Ironically, this event is held, at least partially, to honor the memory of the great Arnold Palmer, who really put golf on the map for millions by storming back from the field to win on Sundays with a string of exciting, clutch birdies - the only thing that can make golf exciting as a spectator event for non-golfers.
Yesterday's excitement was mainly comprised of two things: Watching DeChambeau's monstrous drives - usually into the high grass - which produced the thrilling result of him hitting a 9-iron approach rather than his opponent's 7. Second was the Golf Gods' constant teasing of Jordan Spieth - the fans' favorite - missing birdie attempt after birdie attempt by fractions of an inch.
I forget the exact number but the late Mr. Woods won something like 52 of 53 tournaments when he led on Sunday morning, usually taking a multi-stroke lead by mid-round and just playing it out.
For the golfers who may be reading this, maybe the tournament directors could inject a little more spectator-fun into these Sunday sleep fests by using the easiest pin placements on Sunday to get strings of birdies, rather than the toughest - forcing the golfers to shoot for the middle of the green, and 30 foot birdie putts.