Bryson DeChambeau blasts a 370-yard drive over water

As soon as Bryson DeChambeau took a driver out of his caddy's bag standing in front of the lake to read the wind, loud cheers came from the gallery. Taking a calm and deep breath, he gave a full swing. Even before the ball’s landing on the field, he was deeply assured that it would cross the lake, putting his hands up in excitement. Grinning from ear to ear, he received a bottle of protein shakes from his caddy Tim Tucker. A spectator's jaw dropped, saying that it came as a surprise that DeChambeau's swing did not shatter the ball into pieces.

The monstrous long-ball golfer attempted to drive the green on the par-5 hole. He smashed an eye-popping 370-yard driver shot at the par-5 sixth hole off the tee during Saturday’s third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando. Carrying 344 yards, his ball flew at a speed per hour of 196 miles with a club head speed of 137 miles per hour. As of now, DeChambeau ranks first on Tour thanks to an average driving distance of 323.9 yards.

Although having his drive shy of the putting surface as the ball tumbled into the rough 70 yards from the pin, DeChambeau garnered acclaim for his mega-powerful long shot. Measuring 555 yards, the sixth hole was a dogleg left par 5 at 531 yards with a lake from the teeing ground to the green. A shot flying more than 340 yards over the water can have the green within reach. Rather than going directly for the green, DeChambeau also hit the fairway on this hole in the first and second rounds.

“Especially when you pull it off. It was almost like winning a tournament. I got the same chills and feeling when I saw it clear and there was no splash. I gave the fans what they wanted,” said DeChambeau in satisfaction after the round was over. Jordan Spieth, at the midway point of playing the seventh hole on the opposite side of the lake, was seen to be stunned by DeChambeau’s drive.

Finishing off the sixth hole with a birdie, DeChambeau ended up with six birdies and two bogies, having his score reduced by four strokes. Lee Westwood, a 48-year-old seasoned golfer, is currently in the lead by one stroke over DeChambeau with a 10-under 206 who is tied for second place. DeChambeau is not expected to try driving the green at the sixth hole in the final round, according to Golfweek.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com