Christopher Hanewinckel – USA Today Sports
The long wait is finally over.
After 4 years of working to earn and maintain status on the PGA Tour, and several weeks of playing some of the best golf on Tour, Billy Horschel claimed his first victory of 2013 in dramatic fashion.
Standing on the 18th green, Horschel had already put himself in an incredible position. At 19-under, he was already tied for the 72-hole scoring record at TPC of Louisiana. Staring down a 27-footer for birdie, he was able to find the proper line and drain the putt, and the celebration began in earnest.
“I let it go,” Horschel said. “It all came out.”
What’s interesting about this victory is that Horschel was paired with the same player as he was at the Shell Houston Open, D.A. Points. Points won that event by only a stroke, but this time, Horschel was able to close the deal, and walked away with the trophy.
I’ve admittedly been on the Billy Horschel bandwagon for a few weeks now, but this win will be huge for the former Florida Gator. As a player who has had to battle through injuries and other difficulty just to stay on Tour, this win guarantees his membership for two years, even if he were to somehow fall out of the top 125 on the money list (he won’t – the nearly $1.2 million check from this tournament alone would have had him 23rd last year). More importantly, the 500 FedEx Cup points he earns have put him third on the 2013 list.
With 12 cuts made in 12 tournaments entered, and now his first victory, Billy Horschel could be set up to make some serious noise on the PGA Tour this year. And with all he’s had to do just to get to this point, he won’t likely give up easily.
Brandon Raper is a golf writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or add him to your Google+ network.
