After a ho-hum start to the round for Lee Westwood and Bryson DeChambeau in the final pairing, the duo stepped to the tee at the par-4 4th hole settling into a groove for their Sunday battle, but the swings they produced were anything but championship quality.
DeChambeau took the tee first with a fairway wood in hand, but when he made contact with the ball, the explosive contact he has been come to be known for was absent. Instead of rocketing off the clubface, the ball shot toward the water in front of the tee box with top spin.
Close, but a cold top might be a better explanation.
Westwood then took the tee with a golden opportunity to create some separation between himself and DeChambeau. He selected a fairway wood as well, reared back and made solid contact. Unfortunately, the ball flight was nothing near what he had in mind as the ball banana-sliced well right of the fairway and into the water.
“What is that?” said analyst Paul Azinger. “What have we seen?”
DeChmbeau ended up carding a double on the hole, while Westwood was able to save bogey.
The Players might not be a major, but the pressure of the prestigious event still seems to be wreaking havoc.
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.