ORLANDO, Fla. – Everyone loves the long ball.
In every sport. The 80-yard touchdown pass in football. The tape measure at home runs in baseball. The half court holds in basketball. And of course the long rides in golf.
Years ago, John Daly drew so many eyeballs to his game because he hit it further than anyone in the game. Then Tiger Woods came along and was taller than anyone else.
Bryson DeChambeau, who is fascinated in golf today, attracted a lot of attention last year because he picked up and went crazy for a long time.
All week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, DeChambeau teased everyone about his intention to try and ride the green over a big lake on the sixth hole of 555 yards par-5.
In his practice round on Wednesday, he tried it twice and came up short in the wind. The wind didn’t help enough in the first two rounds to give Thursday and Friday a chance, despite the hard-hitting spectator insisting on getting to the sixth downhill every time.
In Saturday’s third round, however, DeChambeau gave the crowd he wanted, by taking an aggressive line across the lake and landing his tee shot to the right of the green, a tee shot that ran a wicked 370 yards has.
As soon as the ball left the club level of his manager, DeChambeau knew he had pushed it down and raised his arms in victory.
The spectators, who shot bananas at the DeChambeau. But they were not the only interested observers.
Jordan Spieth, who played the first two rounds with DeChambeau and publicly said he was scolded that DeChambeau did not do Thursday or Friday, plays number 7 just ahead of DeChambeau and stops on his step to the green to watch how the tea is shot, pointing to his caddy, Michael Greller, at where the ball ends up.
Rory McIlroy, who played one hole behind DeChambeau, stops and looks at the shot.
When it turned out that DeChambeau hit the tee so well, he could have taken an even more aggressive line at the green and driven the green. His tee shot ended up on the right side of the green, he chopped in front of the green and sat for two birdies to tie the lead at the moment.