Billy Horschel


Published on   2023-04-03 by Kai

William John "Billy" Horschel (born December 7, 1986) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Horschel was born and raised in Grant, Florida. He attended Bayside High School in neighboring Palm Bay.

Horschel accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men's golf team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2006 to 2009.

Four-time All American

He was a four-time All-American, including three first-team selections, and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year in 2007 and 2009.

In 2008, he was selected to the Southeast All-Region by PING. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in sports management.

At the Palmer Cup for the USA

He represented the United States at the Palmer Cup twice, in 2007 and 2008, scoring 4.5 points. He posted a 3-1 record for the winning 2007 Walker Cup team.

Horschel won the individual medal at the 2006 U.S. Amateur when he posted a two-day score of 138 (60-78, -5) at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. His opening round of 60 was an 18-hole tournament and USGA record. He did not make it past the third round of match play. He also competed in the 2006 U.S. Open but missed the cut.

First PGA Tour Card in 2010

Horschel turned professional in 2009. In December 2009, he successfully earned a PGA Tour card for 2010 through Qualifying School. A wrist injury limited Horschel to four PGA Tour events that year, in which he failed to make the cut.

He regained his Tour Card through Qualifying School in December 2010 to support his medical renewal should he not earn enough to secure his Tour Card.

First PGA Cut in 2011

In February 2011, he made the cut at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, his first in eleven PGA Tour starts, finishing 13th. Horschel finished the season ranked 140th in the money standings.

Horschel finished third at the 2012 True South Classic, but only finished 147th in the 2012 money standings. Horschel's best finish on the Web.com Tour is a 4th place finish at the 2012 Stadium Classic at UGA.

Three TopTen finishes in a row

After his third successful attempt in four trips to Q School, he earned his PGA Tour Card for 2013, making the cut in every tournament he entered early in the season.

He posted three consecutive top-10 finishes before breaking through in his 61st PGA Tour start at the 2013 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Horschel made six consecutive birdies in the fourth round to win by one stroke over D. A. Points. The victory moved Horschel into third place in the FedEx Cup standings, third in the PGA Tour money standings and 49th in the Official World Rankings.

The victory earned him entries into the 2013 PGA Championship, the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the Players Championship and the 2014 Masters Tournament. His world ranking also earned him participation in the U.S. Open.

At the end of April 2013, Horschel led the PGA Tour with twenty-three consecutive cuts, starting at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June 2012, a streak that ended when he missed the cut at The Players Championship, the tournament he played after winning.

In the interim at No. 1

At the 2013 U.S. Open, Horschel was tied for the lead with Phil Mickelson halfway through the tournament. In his first major tournament as a professional, he was one of only two players to finish under par after the second round, hitting all 18 greens at Merion in regulation.

He played rounds of 72-74 and finished the tournament at five-over par, four shots behind eventual winner Justin Rose. Horschel finished his first major as a professional in fourth place and moved up to 34th in the world rankings and fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Victory at BMW Championship in 2014

Horschel picked up his second win at the 2014 BMW Championship, moving up to 23rd in the world rankings. The following week, he won the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club to win the FedEx Cup. The win also moved Horschel up to 14th in the OWGR.

In May 2017, Horschel won the AT&T Byron Nelson in a playoff against Jason Day. In April 2018, Horschel won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Scott Piercy.

Victory over Scottie Scheffler

In March 2021, Horschel won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, defeating Scottie Scheffler 2-1 in the final, his first World Golf Championship victory.

In September of the same year, he won the BMW PGA Championship by shooting a 65 in the final round. It was his second victory on the European Tour. In June 2022, Horschel won the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, his seventh PGA Tour title.

On the U.S. team at the 2022 Presidents Cup

In September 2022, Horschel was selected for the U.S. team at the 2022 Presidents Cup; he won one match and lost two of the three matches he played.

Horschel met Brittany Nelson when they were both playing golf at the University of Florida. They have been married since 2010 and have three children. Horschel is also a supporter of West Ham United F.C.

[Source: wikipedia.com]

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