Power Rankings: 2020 BMW Championship

ORLANDO, Fla. — The long ball helped Bryson DeChambeau outlast Lee Westwood on Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, only the key shots were as much with his putter as his driver. RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag: Bryson DeChambeau DeChambeau holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the front nine and a 50-foot par putt early on the back nine. He closed it out with a nervy 5-foot par putt for a 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory over the 47-year-old Westwood. It matched the low score of the day, one of only three rounds under par in the toughest final round at Bay Hill in 41 years. DeChambeau and Westwood were never separated by more than one shot over the final 15 holes, a fascinating duel of generations that came down to the last shot. For the second straight day, DeChambeau revved up thousands of fans on the par-5 sixth hole by smashing driver over the lake and leaving himself 88 yards away on the 565-yard sixth hole. Westwood was 168 yards behind him, and raised both arms to jokingly mimic DeChambeau’s reaction from the day before. They both made birdie. DeChambeau appeared to be in trouble on the 11th when he narrowly missed going in the water off the tee, caught a plugged lie in the front bunker and gouged it out to 50 feet. He made that for par to stay ahead by one. Westwood tied him with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 12th, only to give it back with a three-putt on the 14th. The tournament turned on the par-5 16th, where it was Westwood who had the advantage. DeChambeau’s drive went up against the lip of a bunker and he had to lay up short of the water. Westwood had 158 yards and hit a poor short iron that came up short of the green. He chipped nicely, except that it rolled out 6 feet by the hole on the lightning-quick greens and he missed the birdie for a chance to tie. DeChambeau was one ahead going to the 18th when he hit his most important drive of the day — in the fairway. Westwood’s tee shot settled in a divot, and he did well to get it on the green and two-putt from 65 feet. DeChambeau’s birdie putt slid by some 5 feet and he shook his arms in celebration when the par putt dropped. Westwood closed with a 73, not a bad score considering the average of 75.49 was the highest for a final round since 1980. Corey Conners stayed in the mix until the very end. The Canadian holed a 15-foot eagle putt on the 16th to get within one shot, only to find a bunker on the par-3 17th and miss a 6-foot par putt. With a bogey on the final hole, he shot 74 to finish alone in third. Jordan Spieth was part of a four-man race on the front nine and briefly tied for the lead with a birdie on the par-5 sixth. That turned out to be his last birdie of the day. He took bogey on three of his last four holes for a 75, dropping him into a three-way tie for fourth with Andrew Putnam (71) and Ricky Werenski (73). For Spieth, it was his third top-five finish in his last four events. DeChambeau said he received a text Sunday morning from Tiger Woods, who is recovering from serious leg injuries from his car crash in Los Angeles. He said Woods, an eight-time Bay Hill winner, told him to “keep fighting.” He also considered the words from Arnold Palmer to “play boldly.” He needed all of that with the fight Westwood gave him, and the test Bay Hill provided. “It’s been quite a battle this whole entire time,” DeChambeau said. DeChambeau rose to No. 1 in the FedExCup rankings with his ninth PGA TOUR victory, and he became the first player this season with multiple victories, to go along with his U.S. Open title in September. It matched the longest it took for a multiple winner on the PGA TOUR since 1969. Nick Price won his second title in the 21st week of the season in 1994. Rory McIlroy, who started four shots out of the lead, was never in the mix. He came undone on the par-5 sixth, where he hit two tee shots into the water and then hit the fairway, green and made the putt to salvage double bogey. He shot 76.

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HONOLULU, Hawaii – Rory Sabbatini says his decision to become a Slovakian citizen is to support his wife and stepson and to further the sport of golf in the small nation, not to chase an Olympic dream. The South African born six-time PGA TOUR winner now has both American and Slovakian citizenship as he supports his wife Tina’s family wish to further golf in her home nation. Tina’s cousin Rastislav Antala is the Vice President of the Slovak Golf Association and harbors a passion for youth golf. He saw an opportunity to use Sabbatini as the new face of the sport given Petr Valasek is the next highest ranked player from the country at 1930th in the world. It had been previously reported the decision was to give Sabbatini an easier path to the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. Only two players for each nation can qualify (up to four if they are inside the top 15 in the world) with the field capped at 60. At the moment the 60th player would be Jose de Jesus Rodriguez from Mexico who sits 330th in the world. Sabbatini, who currently ranks 201st in the world, is now sitting in the 49th slot for the Olympics. “This decision was never made to play in the Olympics. This decision was made to one support my wife and stepson, getting my citizenship, and two to open the door for golf development in Slovakia,� Sabbatini said at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “The Olympics or anything else was never the focus of it. I actually didn’t even know I’d be eligible for the Olympics. I thought you had to be in the top 200 in the world and at that point I was like 450th. “The added benefit is her cousin is the director of golf development in Slovakia we thought this is an opportunity to bring more kids into the game of golf because they really haven’t had exposure on a international stage to have someone to follow in golf. “This is an opportunity to maybe open the door to getting some interest among young kids and maybe getting the government involved to start supporting a program for development.� When he tees it up at the Sony Open in Hawaii tomorrow for the 21st straight year, Sabbatini will be the first Slovakian to play on the PGA TOUR. The 42-year-old is twice a runner up at Waialae Country Club but hasn’t won on TOUR since 2011. While he says the Olympics is not a driving factor, he would indeed play in Japan if he qualified. “If I started to perform and was able to qualify for Olympics great, so be it,� he said. “If things happen to fall the way that would be fantastic. Golf being back in the Olympics is a great advantage for golf all over the world. I just truly hope that we can get the program to really develop in Slovakia and if the Olympics would happen to boost it that would be fantastic.�

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NAPA, Calif. – It’s been a big week for Hawaii so far in California. Hawaii native Jon Oda, a Monday qualifier, shot a second-round 66 to reach 8 under halfway through the Safeway Open at Silverado. That was one off the lead with the afternoon wave still playing. On Oda’s bag this week is fellow Hawaiian Dean Wilson, who enjoyed a long PGA TOUR career that peaked with his victory at the 2006 International.  “Dean’s been awesome,� said Oda, 23, who played for UNLV before turning pro in 2017. “He’s someone I look up to, someone I bounce ideas off of. We have a good time, just laugh a bunch.� RELATED: Tee times | Equipment gallery: Safeway Open Wilson, who racked up 21 top-10 finishes and nearly $9 million on TOUR, had just attended a fundraiser for his alma mater, BYU, on Monday when he and Oda got to texting. Oda, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, had Monday-qualified for the Safeway. He needed a caddie. They agreed that Wilson would spend Tuesday at home while Oda played his practice rounds, and fly to Northern California on Wednesday. “I always go back and forth to Vegas and play a lot of golf with him there,� said Wilson, who now lives in San Diego. “I admire so much about him. He’s very mature. He’s got control of his game. He has good knowledge of the golf swing, good knowledge of what makes the ball go, and he’s got a lot of experience in how to play great golf, so being around him is a pleasure.� Oda is no stranger to the TOUR. He got seven starts two seasons ago, when he finished T3 after Monday-qualifying for the Barracuda Championship. He also finished eighth at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and T11 at the Wyndham Championship. He’s just never quite gotten comfortable. Until now. Oda and Wilson played together for the first time at a tournament at Mid-Pacific Country Club on Oahu. Oda was about 15, while Wilson was winding down his TOUR career. “Every time I played back in Hawaii, I’d play in the state opens or the section events, I’d ask the guys to pair me with the good amateurs,� Wilson said. Oda fit the bill. “He’s got it,� Wilson said. Oda smiled when asked about their big brother, little brother relationship. “Everyone knows him,� Oda said. “He’s just cracking jokes with the guys on the green, and all the caddies recognize him. It’s kind of a cool dynamic out here. We talked about what he’s done in the past. I always ask him, ‘What would you do on this shot?’� Wilson said he’s learning from Oda, too. “He doesn’t need any help; you just need a buddy out there,� Wilson said. “We just walk around and keep it chill. I just want everything to be as easy it can be for him. For him to play really good, what really helps is just being comfortable. And maybe having me around helps with that. I just tell him he’s as good as everybody out here, because he is.�  

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