THE STATS: DeChambeau Prevails at Bay Hill // Here Are the Statistics

The 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational was an unforgettable tournament that was jam-packed with wild shots, dramatic putts, Bryson bombs, and electric competition — oh, and FANS!

Just a week ago following Morikawa’s win at the WGC, I made a prediction for the tournament at Bay Hill.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is next up on the agenda for the PGA Tour and my early pick to win is Bryson DeChambeau.

At Bay Hill, DeChambeau placed fourth in 2020 and two years prior he finished runner-up to Rory Mcilroy.

Pick is subject to change throughout the week.

— Jack B. (@jackbrrgess) March 1, 2021

And I prevailed.

In a final-round battle between Bryson DeChambeau and Lee Westwood, leads were switched a couple of times and at one point they were co-leading, but DeChambeau would fill his card with pars on the back-nine to win at Arnie’s place.

In the past, DeChambeau has been an excellent competitor at Bay Hill finishing fourth last year to 2020 champion Tyrell Hatton, who finished tied for 21st this year, and two years prior he finished runner-up to Rory Mcilroy.

It seemed fitting for DeChambeau to be the player who would don the signature red sweater at the end of the weekend as he executed some of the most ridiculous shots, most notably his tee shots on the par-5 6th in rounds three and four.

Here’s Bryson’s reaction to bombing the ocean-esque pond 377 yards with 88 yards to the pin on the par-5.

There were other shots which highlighted Bryson’s great play at Bay Hill including one of his shots out of the rough on Sunday. In a lay where ball-sight was minimal, DeChambeau used his brute strength to dig it out of the thickness and knock it on the green to leave himself a good look for birdie.

.@b_dechambeau‘s power out of the rough is next-level. 💪

He has a one-shot lead with three holes left at the @APinv.pic.twitter.com/x0s9Tjz9X3

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 7, 2021

Other golfers in the 2021 field would give DeChambeau a run for his money for best shots of the week. Jordan Spieth had an exciting moving day, opening up his round with a birdie and following it up with an ACE on the difficult par-3 2nd.

He would also perfect a bunker shot for birdie and the solo-lead; something we haven’t seen from Jordan in quite some time. At this point in the tournament, Spieth seemed unstoppable. Unfortunately, his three-over-par final round would hinder a win and secure a fourth-place finish in his first appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1368266698210619398

Spieth’s ace was followed up by two more holes-in-one, both on the 14th, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, from Jazz Janewattananond (T57, +5) and Kristoffer Ventura (T36, +2).

The win at Bay Hill is Bryson DeChambeau’s eighth career victory on the PGA Tour, boosting him up to no. 1 in the FedEx Cup rankings. For Bryson, I’m sure this win feels especially appropriate based off the expressed admiration and love he had for the late Arnold Palmer. Just a week before Arnie’s passing, he wrote Bryson a letter congratulating him on his first career win on the PGA Tour.

Bryson DeChambeau’s dominance was proven this weekend through his power hitting and scientific approach to the game. He has become one of the most assertive forces in professional golf and his victory at Bay Hill capitalizes his drive to win and play boldly, something Arnold Palmer stressed so importantly during his tenure.

Embed from Getty Images

A look at the statistics of Bryson’s run at Bay Hill:

• SG: Off the Tee – +7.042 (1st)
• SG: Approach to Green – +4.236 (9th)
• SG: Around the Green – +1.168 (30th)
• SG: Putting – +2.747 (21st)
• SG: Tee to Green – +12.446 (2nd)
• SG: Total – +15.193 (1st)
• Driving Accuracy – 57.14% (T42nd)
• Average Driving Distance – 321 (1st)
• Longest Drive – 377 (1st)
• Greens in Regulation – 69.44%, 50/72 (T3rnd)
• Sand Saves – 57.14%, 4/7 (T54th)
• Scrambling – 68.18% (11th)
• Putts per GIR – 1.760 (41st)

It’s no surprise here that Bryson DeChambeau lead every category in driving off the tee shot. Everyone was anticipating him to drive the 6th hole, and he did it twice.

Leaders in notable statistics at Bay Hill and where they finished on the leaderboard:

• SG: Off the Tee: Bryson DeChambeau (7.042) 1st
• SG: Approach to Green: Corey Conners (1.774) 3rd
• SG: Around the Green: Byeong Hun An (1.335) T43rd
• SG: Putting: Max Homa (1.972) T10th
• SG: Tee-to-Green: Lee Westwood (3.305) 2nd
• SG: Total: Bryson DeChambeau (15.193) 1st
• Driving Accuracy: Kevin Kisner (78.57%) T36th
• Greens in Regulation: Lee Westwood (70.83%) 2nd
• Scrambling: Ricky Werenski (76.47) T4th
• Total Birdies: Emiliano Grillo (19) T21st
• Total Eagles: Corey Conners (3) 3rd, Sunjae Im (3) T21st

Next weekend the PGA Tour is set to go on to the illustrious Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. A couple of star-studded groups have already been announced for the mid-major, all of whom rank amongst the top-20 in all-time winning percentage:

Collin Morikawa

Dustin Johnson

Bryson DeChambeau

Brooks Koepka (recently opted out due to injury)

Jon Rahm

Patrick Reed

A Players Championship title is unlike any honor in golf, so I expect every competitor in the field to come out hot and perform to the best of their abilities.

Embed from Getty Images

My early pick to win the 2021 title is Patrick Reed and my dark-horse pick is Rickie Fowler.

I will provide more information about my picks later in the week via my Twitter: @BurgesSports

Cover Image Via Twitter