Westwood fires 65 to lead by one
Lee Westwood isn’t just killing time waiting to become old enough to compete against guys his own age.
He might not be able to contemplate driving a par 5 – that sideshow Saturday at Bay Hill belonged to Bryson DeChambeau. Westwood, 47, is more graybeard than flat belly.
He also showed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational he can hang with players nearly half his age, posting his lowest score ever at Bay Hill with a 7-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead over DeChambeau and Corey Conners.
“It’s nice to still be playing in these tournaments. You’ve got to be top 50 in the world,” Westwood said. “And if you would have said to me 20 years ago will you still be top 50 in the world at 48 I might have been slightly skeptical.
“And it just shows that I’m still capable of playing well in these tournaments with all the good young players around me and obviously contending, because that’s what I’m doing this week.”
DeChambeau, who shot a 68, was entertaining. Only one of his six birdies got all the attention, mainly because the U.S. Open champion has teased all week about taking all the water on the right-to-left bending par-5 sixth.
The fans began cheering. Out came the driver. DeChambeau gave it a rip and raised his arms, a scene right out of the World Long Drive Championship, and then thrust both arms in the air again when he saw the shot clear the water, run through the fairway and into the rough, 70 yards from the hole.
That might not have been the shot of the day.
Jordan Spieth made a hole-inone with a 5-iron from 222 yards on the second hole. Jazz Janewattanond made an ace on the 212-yard 14th hole. Keegan Bradley shot a 64, the low round of the week.
All of them were in the mix, meaning there should be plenty of entertainment on Sunday.
LPGA Tour: Jennifer Kupcho made a 12-foot eagle putt on the final hole to cut Austin Ernst’s lead to a stroke in the Drive On Championship in Ocala, Florida.
Kupcho shot a 2-under 70 at Golden Ocala, setting up the eagle with a fairway wood that just cleared the rocks and water fronting the green on the par-5 18th.
Ernst parred the last six holes in a 69. The two-time LPGA Tour winner was at 13-under 203.