DeChambeau wins in Orlando
The long ball helped Bryson DeChambeau outlast Lee Westwood on Sunday to win the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando — only the key shots were as much with his putter as his driver.
DeChambeau holed a 40foot birdie putt on the front nine and a 50foot par putt early on the back nine. He closed it out with a nervy 5foot par putt for a 1underpar 71 and a oneshot victory over Westwood.
DeChambeau and Westwood were never separated by more than one shot over the final 15 holes.
Westwood closed with a 73, not a bad score considering the average of 75.49. Corey Conners was third, three shots behind DeChambeau.
Jordan Spieth was part of a fourman race on the front nine and briefly tied for the lead with a birdie on the par5 sixth. That turned out to be his last birdie of the day. He took bogey on three of his last four holes for 75, dropping him into a tie for fourth with Andrew Putnam (71) and Ricky Werenski (73).
For Spieth, it was his third topfive finish in his past four events.
⏩ Fourtime major champion Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship, which begins Thursday, because of what his manager described as a knee strain. LPGA Tour: Austin Ernst won the Drive On Championship, pulling away to beat fellow former NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho by five strokes in Ocala, Fla.
Tied for the lead with Kupcho after each of the first two rounds and a stroke ahead entering the day, Ernst closed with a 2under 70 to finish at 15under 273.