Kaboom!

Bryson DeChambeau’s victory in the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill comprised poise, passion and controlled power

Bryson DeChambeau’s powerful statement at the house that Arnie built

From the sixth tee in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bryson DeChambeau’s 377-yard drive sped across the lake with scant regard for the crescent-shaped fairway to the right, bounding to the safety of a bunker. He posted birdie four, but so did his playing partner Lee Westwood, who battled valiantly through the final day without any moonshot drives. They were playing different sorts of golf, and unfortunately for Westwood his included missing multiple mid-range putts. In contrast, DeChambeau combined [massive] power off the tee with touch on the greens, draining two from distance—37 feet for birdie at No.4, and from 50 feet to save par on 11—to become the first American winner of Arnie’s event in six years.

DeChambeau, 27, with his eighth PGA Tour title secured and a new red cardigan, revealed afterwards that he and Tiger Woods—eight times Bay Hill champ and currently recovering from an auto accident—had exchanged messages prior to the final round.

“Tiger told me to keep fighting and to play boldly like Mr. Palmer would,” said an emotional DeChambeau, who made his API debut as an amateur in 2016, thanks to an invitation from Palmer. U.S. Amateur champ, as Palmer had been 61 years before him, DeChambeau finished in a tie for 27th in what would be the last Arnold Palmer Invitational the tournament host would see.

“I don’t know what to say to win Mr. Palmer’s event,” said DeChambeau. “It is going to make me cry. It means the world to me.”