ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 4, 2021

Bryson DeChambeau

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. 5-under to get things going. How would you characterize your opening round here today?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I played really good besides something weird that happened on 11, just a little 3-footer I missed, haven't done that in a long time and I guess I was due for it, I don't know.

But for the most part -- I was struggling with the putter. You could see I was really working hard on the putting stroke on numerous holes and that's just what I didn't feel too comfortable with, but I was still able to hit the ball on line and make a few putts when I needed to and I was pleased with that.

My driver was in the fairway, which is great. I had to rein it back a little bit, we're working on some, hopefully some new technology in the next couple weeks that will help mitigate some of those speed, interesting speed issues that we have -- not for golf swing reasons, just for stuff that can handle it. I mean, it's really difficult when you get up to super high speeds, the ball and the club don't respond for those speeds as well.

So for the most part again going back to the round today I felt pretty comfortable and looking forward to hitting it in the fairway more and hitting my irons close.

Q. You made birdie on 6. There was a lot of talk on the beginning of the week with the proper conditions you might go a little more aggressive off the tee. What did you see there and how did you ultimately decide to go the route you did?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It's funny, on 4 it was kind of straight into the wind I'm like, Man, it may be possible if the wind kind of flips a little bit. But there was a high expectation level of me trying to go for the green there and it was a little pressure that I wasn't expecting.

But, no, it was fun. The crowds were great with it. I pulled out an iron as a joke off the tee box. And for me it was just too much off of the right and more into the wind than anything. And with the driver that I'm using right now it's a heavier head and so I can't get the speeds that I'm trying to obtain on the golf course out here -- eventually -- but it has a little more control to it, it has like 3,000 spin.

But if it was one of my normal drivers at 2,000 spin I totally could have done it today, but if it's more downwind I'll be able to do it tomorrow, hopefully, or some time during the weekend.

Q. What are the odds you actually do it, if the conditions are --

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: If it's 10 miles an hour downwind I'll for sure go for it. Not necessarily the green, per se, but like I'll be 30, 40 yards right of that, try and go in that little area, about at that bunker, it's about 30 putt, 40 yards short of the green. So that will be the area.

Q. What do you enjoy about the challenge of playing Bay Hill?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well I think there's a lot of holes you have to kind of step up on and be confident with. It's very visually intimidating and if you can conquer that and execute a great shot, you're already ahead of the field.

Q. On 6 again, did you kind of know walking up there you were going to have a little fun with the fans? Because Tim came by us and said, He's going for it. I think a few people heard him and what was that like?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It was fun. There was definitely a high expectation level of me trying to go for the green, but the driver that I have this week is a little more for accuracy and it is slower, as people may notice on some of the stats and everything like that, but it's going in the fairway more.

So going up there I knew that it would have to be about 10 miles an hour, almost off the right and downwind for me to go farther left. And I wasn't really able to. And I hit a great drive, it would have flown, had I hit it to the left, but you don't know, if I barely mishit it, it won't get over and then I'm reteeing again, which is not fun.

Q. Will you look at the weather forecast each morning and maybe put that old driver back in if it is down wind or are the other 13 drives going to keep you from doing that?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I don't know. Look, all I'm looking for is 10 miles an hour downwind and I'll be definitely going left.

Q. With the current driver you have today?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah. That's really all I'm looking for. I'm not really going to make too big of a change or anything.

Q. Once we stop stepping through Florida, Augusta is around the corner, big things. How big is it to start building some momentum as you move toward there?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well it's huge. I've always played pretty well off of a few weeks in a row in tournaments. I'll kind of gain some momentum normally and I hope this is just the start.

Q. Where is the biggest part of your game right now you feel you can build that?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well I think that I can make the biggest -- it's actually a tough question because there's numerous areas where I feel like I could improve.

The driver, if I can get it to go a little farther like I was probably a couple months ago, that would be nice, with it going as straight as I'm hitting it right now.

And then my wedge game always has to get a little bit better and my putting, if I can dial in some 20-footers and make putts like Jordan Spieth, that would be great.