Driskel plays in Palmer

Quarterback Jeff Driske of Oviedo walked off the 18th green Wednesday at Bay Hill Club and Lodge realizing avoiding 300-pound linemen breathing fire might be easier than finding the fairway with 300-yard drives.

Killing time while awaiting word on his next NFL destination, Driskel teed it up during the Pro-Am of the Arnold Palmer Invitational with Tony Finau, one of the top talents on the PGA Tour.

Driskel did not realize until earlier in the week the event did not have a scramble format, where each player hits from the spot of the best previous shot.

“If it was a scramble, we would have used some of my shots,” Driskel joked.

Instead, Driskel had to play his own ball — a tough task on a demanding setup featuring thick rough, narrow fairways and lightningfast greens. On the final hole, Driskel hit his first approach shot into the water and the next into the rocks guarding the 18th green.

“Humbling game, humbling course,” Driskel said. “But what a great event.”

Over the course of 18 holes, the former Hagerty High standout made sure to get a few pointers from Finau, the world’s 15th-ranked player.

“He gave me some free lessons out there,” Driskel said. “I was in the traps a lot, so he was giving me some trap lessons. We’ll see if I can use it next time.”

Driskel’s upbeat nature helped him endure some down times with the Florida Gators. In Gainesville, he led UF to an 11-2 record in 2012, but transferred after the 2014 season to Louisiana Tech, where he revived his college career and developed into a sixth-round NFL draft pick.

Driskel has played four NFL seasons, including 2019 in Detroit. But his rookie contract will expire at the end of the month.

“We’ll see what the market is and where I end up,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of freeagent quarterbacks this year. We’ll see what happens, but I feel like I’ve put myself in the position to be somewhere.”

Driskel, who turns 27 next month, was given a spot in Wednesday’s ProAm by Orlando Health, a network of community and specialty hospitals.

Using one of the network’s facilities, Driskel rehabilitated a broken arm two years ago and has since partnered with Orlando Health. He wore its foundation logo on his cleats during his first NFL start with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018.

“Being around the hospital, being around the people, I just saw the great work they do,” he said.

On Wednesday, Driskel was alternately impressed and humbled watching Finau do his thing.

“I was in awe,” Driskel said. “I was talking to my buddies, ‘He hasn’t hit a bad shot today.’ It’s amazing how they keep focus for four or five hours day in, day out out here.”

At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Driskel considered himself a fairly long driver off the tee until joining up with one of the biggest hitters on Tour.