Bryson DeChambeau has revealed how a text from Tiger Woods helped inspire him to victory over Lee Westwood at the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament.
The reigning U.S. Open champion, who surged on Sunday after starting the day a shot back, shot a 71 and let out a roar after draining a clutch par putt on the final hole to hold off Westwood (73) by one stroke.
And the 27-year-old was almost moved to tears when soaking in the moment of winning golf legend Palmer’s eponymous tournament, which Woods has won eight times.
“I got a text from Tiger this morning ... We just talked about ‘just keep fighting, no matter what happens’ and play boldly like Mr. Palmer,” DeChambeau said in a televised interview.
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Woods suffered a fractured right leg and a shattered ankle after a car accident last month, stunning the golf world and calling into question the future of the 45-year-old’s career.
“My heart has been heavy with Tiger and what’s been going on with him and I just kept telling myself, ‘It’s not how many times you get kicked down, it’s about how many times you get picked back up and you keep going,’” said DeChambeau. “And that’s what I surely did out there today.”
Reuters contributed to this report
