The Jordan-Rory-Bryson Show Continues at The Arnold Palmer

Let’s face it. No matter who wins on Sunday, the Jordan Spieth-Rory McIlroy-Bryson DeChambeau show at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday was worth watching. And they weren’t the only ones doing well. There was something for everybody. And there were plenty of fans on hand to make it like a real tournament. They had plenty of exciting shots to watch.

Forty-seven-year-old Englishman Lee Westwood is, miraculously, in the lead, but just by a shot. Blast from the past Keegan Bradley, former PGA champ, is two back. Last year’s winner, Tyrrell Hatton, is within reach. A Thai youngster with a nearly unpronounceable last name, Jazz Janewattananond, is in contention. And Corey Connors, a Canadian who became the first Monday qualifier to win in 10 years at the 2019 Valero Texas Open, is tied with DeChambeau, one back.

Talk about a tough tournament to predict. The three big name stars, Spieth, McIlroy and DeChambeau, have not been playing well recently.

Spieth has been in whatever is worse than a slump since winning the 2017 British Open. Although it looked like he might have a shot at victory in Phoenix, Brooks Koepka came out and stomped on everybody, as the late, legendary Dan Jenkins might have said.

But Saturday at Bay Hill, the golf gods were smiling on Spieth again, and when that happens, it’s hard to beat him. How much good luck did he have? He had a hole-in-one on the second, and he holed out from a bunker on the 7th. He was trying to hide his smile after the ace and failed.

It’s hard not to be happy for a guy who was on top of the world and then had his game go so far south that he almost reached Antarctica.

How did he score that hole-in-one?

“I hit a 5-iron, it was 205 front, 220 hole, and the wind wasn’t blowing very hard,” he said to media after play concluded. “I was trying to peel it left to right to hold the wind and land it a little right of the hole. I hit it a little thin, but it was right on the line.”

Jordan Spieth Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Jordan Spieth of the United States prepares to putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 06, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Spieth played the third round alone after Justin Rose withdrew early. Playing by himself is something Spieth doesn’t enjoy, he noted. Not even at home.

To win tomorrow, he is going to have to reintroduce himself to some short grass off the tee. He was an atrocious 46 percent of fairways hit in round three, about 18 points worse than Thursday or Friday. Fortunately, he’s good out of trouble because he was in rough, bunkers and water. Just not many fairways.

“It was just another round that, unfortunately, wasn’t boring for me. I’m trying to have boring rounds,” he said. He’s been saying that since his run of majors started. Maybe he needs to just realize that this is the way he often plays. It’s high stress golf, but maybe it’s the only kind he can play with success.

However, NBC’s Paul Azinger commented, “The putter is the best way to get out of a slump.”

Spieth’s putter certainly came back to life. He rolled in a 19-footer on the first, made a 31-footer to save par after having been in the water on the third, made a 15-footer for par at the 5th and made a 36-footer at the 10th.

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McIlroy has, by his own admission, not been McIlroy-like since before the pandemic started changing lives everywhere. Thursday and Friday, it looked like he was on the mend, golf-wise, but Saturday, his problems seemed to center on inconsistent shots to the green and really being too far away from the flag when he reached the green. It’s hard to make birdie from 20-25 feet or farther, and he had a day of that.

But the biggest issue on Saturday was that McIlroy missed some inexcusable short putts or he would be one back of the lead. He three-putted 18, missing a 4-footer for par. He missed a two-footer on the 11th for par. And he bogeyed the 4th by hitting into the left rough on his drive and not getting to the green in two. Just mistakes.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 11th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 06, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

“Any of the shots that I hit today that weren’t what I was looking for was just indecisiveness or not fully committing to what I’m trying to do,” he said to media after his round. “So, I think that’s sort of the goal tomorrow, just to trust it a little more and, if good shots come, they come and if not, then at least I gave my best chance.”

But the really big show was DeChambeau. He may be the first person to drive straight over the water on the 6th with success. He didn’t get to the green, but he was close to it. With a little more breeze and correction for aim, he might have made it. But he did get to dry land.

DeChambeau’s drive was 370 yards, and he only had 70 yards left to the hole. But as the crow flies, it looked for all the world like he would have made it to the green, had his aim been 100 percent on target. He may not have wanted to take that chance.

“I felt like a kid again, for sure. It was exciting. Especially when you pull it off and you know — it was almost like winning a tournament,” DeChambeau said to media about the shot after finishing. “I got the same chills and feeling when I saw it clear and there was no splash, it was like, Yes. I gave the fans what they wanted.”

The 6th hole measures 531 yards on the card, but the fairway flanks a circular lake, and the hole goes around it a little more than half way. According to the PGA Tour, it was the longest drive of the week on any hole so far. It was also the longest drive on No. 6 in the ShotLink era (2003-present). Of course, there’s always Sunday.

DeChambeau had other long drives, too. He bombed it 357 at the 5th, 329 at the 9th, where he was in what is usually caddie parking. He was 350 at the 15th and 337 at the 16th.

His accuracy off the tee has diminished as the tournament unfolded. He hit 78 percent of fairways in round one, 57 percent in round two and 50 percent in round three. At the 18th, he was in very deep rough on the right of the fairway and faced a carry over water to reach the green. While the commentators went back and forth on whether he would or wouldn’t go, DeChambeau reared back and walloped a second shot to about 19 feet from the hole.

“A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” DeChambeau said about hitting the shot.

So, on Sunday, will it be DeChambeau and his long bombs, McIlroy getting rid of those three-putts or Jordan Spieth finding fairways? Do Corey Connors and Lee Westwood have a chance?

Azinger thinks it will be DeChambeau buttoning up the Arnold Palmer trademark red cardigan sweater.

“He can redefine the game if he keeps this up,” Azinger said at the end of the telecast.

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