ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL

March 5, 2021

Bryson DeChambeau

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

Quick Quotes

Q. What's your assessment of Friday here at Bay Hill for you?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I did not play my best. That's for sure. I didn't get off to a good start. I hit a squirrely tee shot off the first tee and never really got going. Felt like the wind kind of didn't help me in the situations where I felt like it could have. The wind was kind of moving all around today. So it was difficult to manage.

And wedge game and wedges were, quite honestly, some of the worst I've had in a long time. So I got to go figure that out.

But putting felt much better today. Excited about that. Driving's still pretty good. Everything feels fine, it's just a couple things didn't go my way today.

Q. Why do you think things were just a bit off?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Golf. (Laughing) I mean, it's just, it is what it is, it's going to happen every single day that you're out here, no matter what. No matter if you shoot 59 or 50 whatever, right? You're still going to have things where you think, Man I, could have done something better here.

That's golf and, look, I'm three shots back, I think, heading into the weekend, I'll take my chances right now. So pretty happy with where I'm at, I just got to buckle down and hit some better wedges.

Q. I asked you about 6 yesterday, I'm going to ask you about it today. Was the wind potentially more favorable? Were they egging you on to give it a go?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: They were for sure. The wind actually switched off the left and in. It was really weird. Jordan and I were talking about it down the fairway, we were like -- he was like, That's the only reason I played this week was to see you hit it over the lake. And he was joking about it, giving me a hard time even.

There's just some times where the wind, again, like I said, today it was swirling and it turned back and in on us a little bit. So hopefully if it's downwind, consistently downwind and I'm comfortable with it, I'll take it up by the green. But today it wasn't an opportunity again. Everybody thinks it was, but no matter what they say, you weren't in that situation, couldn't feel the wind.

Q. I know it's still a month or so away, but I'm just curious if at Augusta this year, did not feeling well last year kind of make what you tried to do not really, it didn't really pertain -- in other words you didn't get a true sense of what you wanted to do. Will you try again to do what you?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I'll do the same exact thing. I don't think I'll do the 48, just because of the USGA and what they're want to go do. Which is fine. But my goal is to have a driver in hand that can support the 200 mile an hour ball speeds and if I'm able to do that, that's going to be a good sign to play well that week. Just got to get my wedging dialed in.

Q. Obviously when you did get it in play you saw the benefits, correct?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Oh, my gosh, it was massive. I mean, any time you're hitting it longer -- like there were numerous holes today on par-3s where I was hitting two clubs less than the other guys. And that is, no matter what way you look at it, a pretty big advantage.

I hit 8-iron into 17 today.

Another 8-iron into 13 -- or 14, excuse me. 14.

7-iron into 2. I hit it to five feet and made birdie. So the length, no matter what, helps.

Q. What's the shot that's going to motivate you most on the range today? Is it the second shot on 10 or the shot on 13 or is there one particular shot that kind of --

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Probably the most recent one was 18. It just came out 15 yards left of where I was looking. To me that's pretty sad. I don't know why the reasons are. I feel like there's something weird with the connection of the ball to the face with the speeds that I'm producing.

I had fresh grooves this week and I went and registered them on the range and they were actually spinning less. They were just spinning less off the face. So something really weird is going on.

Q. Now obviously there's limited fans here this week, but it seems like they all make their way to 6 to watch you. Talk about embracing being the big show out at a TOUR event. How does that fuel you, how much do you love that and how much do you enjoy it?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think it's great. When the opportunity presents itself and it is 10 miles an hour downwind or even five, whatever, I will give it a go, especially this weekend, when there's really not much to lose anymore, you just go for it. Hopefully, it is downwind, it's a little warm out and it gives me an opportunity to go for it, because I would love to give the fans something to cheer about.

Q. It's supposed to rain tomorrow.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I heard it is, but that may derail some of it. Hopefully, I get a dry spot and get lucky.