According to his representative, Bryson DeChambeau plans to defend his championship at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week.
DeChambeau has been out for the past three weeks due to injuries to his left hand and hip. On February 4, he was forced to withdraw from the Asian Tour’s Saudi International due to his symptoms.
DeChambeau said his injuries weren’t due to his hard speed and weight training, and that “everyone needs to chill” after his early exit (which sparked outrage on social media). For the past few months, he has been suffering from a hand injury. He claimed that when in Saudi Arabia, he fell and damaged his hip.
Brett Falkoff, his agent, said Friday, “He’s trying everything he can to be there.” “For the time being, his sole aim is to play.”
It’s been an exciting stretch off the course for DeChambeau, who stated that he would remain dedicated to the PGA Tour as long as it remained the preeminent destination for the world’s finest players. He was supposed to be in talks with the Saudi-backed Super Golf League, who had offered him a reputed nine-figure deal to be the breakaway circuit’s face.
In the last six months, the API will be his third PGA Tour start. He tied for 25th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the start of the year, but missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks later despite battling injury.
DeChambeau won last year at Bay Hill in thrilling fashion, nearly driving the green on the par-5 sixth hole and holding off Lee Westwood down the stretch. Since then, DeChambeau has only scored four top-10 results, and his global ranking has dropped from No. 6 to No. 12.