Bryson DeChambeau held onto a victory over Lee Westwood to claim the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
DeChambeau nailed a 5-foot putt for a 1-under 71, which led to a one-shot victory over Westwood. The two golfers were never separated by more than one stroke over the last 15 holes of their incredible matchup.
After the win, DeChambeau revealed that Tiger Woods sent him an inspirational text with some advice before he began his round at Bay Hill on Sunday. DeChambeau said the text was “obviously personal” but he briefly explained some of the things that were said between the two golfers. He said Woods – an eight-time Bay Hill winner – told him to “keep fighting.” He also considered the words from Arnold Palmer to “play boldly.”
“He texted me this morning out of the blue and I wasn’t expecting anything,” DeChambeau said via PGA Tour. “When I got that text, I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty amazing that he is thinking of me when he’s in his tough times that he’s going through right now.’ So I just texted him. I said, ‘Keep moving forward, keep going forward. You’re going to get through it. You’re the hardest working person I’ve ever met and you’ll persevere through this pretty much.’”
DeChambeau added that his “heart has been heavy with Tiger [Woods] and what’s been going on with him.” Woods, who was in a car crash in late February, suffered multiple leg injuries and is currently in recovery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
“One of the things that we talked about was, it’s not about how many times you get kicked to the curb, or knocked down. It’s about how many times you can get back up and keep moving forward,” DeChambeau added. “And I think this [champion’s] red cardigan is not only for Mr. Palmer, but I would say it’s a little bit for Tiger as well, knowing what place he’s in right now.”
DeChambeau rose to No. 6 in the world with his ninth PGA Tour victory, and he became the first player this season with multiple victories, to go along with his U.S. Open title in September.
Source: Fox News