Golf babe Paige Spiranac hits out at ‘annoying’ Bryson DeChambeau’s Tiger Woods-inspired Arnold Palmer Invitational victory speech
Bryson DeChambeau stunned the field with his monstrous tee shots en route to winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but one person who was unimpressed was ex-pro Paige Spiranac, who slammed his victory speech as "annoying".
DeChambeau claimed his eighth PGA Tour win on Sunday, beating England's Lee Westwood by a single shot to claim the lion's share of the $9.3 million prize money.
His victory came, in part at least, thanks to a pair of thunderous drives from the par-5 sixth hole that showcased the American's power amid reports that he has added as much as 40lbs to his frame to bolster his impact from the tee.
Noting the win, DeChambeau thanked his sponsors but also recalled a text message he received from Tiger Woods, who is recovering from injuries he received in a serious car accident late last month.
"It means the world to me," DeChambeau said of his victory. "I got a text from Tiger this morning and he obviously had done really well here and was very instrumental in Mr Palmer’s life, as Mr Palmer was to Tiger.
"We just talked about [the need to] just keep fighting no matter what happens, play boldly, like Mr Palmer said.
"My heart has been heavy with Tiger and what’s been going on with him. 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 keep going,” he added.
Spiranac, though, has been a longtime critic of the American. She previously referred to DeChambeau as a "d*ck" for his part in a testy exchange with an official last summer, and doubled down on her antipathy after his latest tournament win by saying that she can both respect him and also find him annoying.
I can respect Bryson and still find him annoying
— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) March 7, 2021
He just comes off disingenuous at times.
— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) March 8, 2021
I didn’t like the Tiger name drop either
— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) March 7, 2021
"I can respect Bryson and still find him annoying," Spiranac tweeted Sunday.
"He just comes off disingenuous at times," she added to a fan who pressed her on her stance, before adding that she "didn't like the Tiger name-drop either."
DeChambeau's body transformation caused a stir last year and led to him becoming one of the sport's most talked-about stars in 2020. Spiranac, however, said she didn't know how to feel last November after DeChambeau flamed out at the 2020 Masters.
"I have mixed feelings on Bryson because he’s such a great person to make fun of, and I feel bad for him because he is doing things that are so different, and it gives us something to talk about," she said at the time.
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