PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Billy Horschel came to the Dominican Republic for the first time looking for momentum and got a much-needed PGA Tour win Sunday.
Horschel fired off four straight birdies over the first nine holes to get into the mix, then made an eagle on the par-5 12th hole to begin to pull away and finish with a final round of 9-under 63 for a two-stroke victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship.
“The sport of golf is very fickle,” Horschel said, “and no matter how hard you work, you’re not going to get everything you want. I knew … I had the ability, I had the talent. I just had to keep believing that good things would come to the fore.”
Horschel, who started the final round three strokes behind, all but sealed the victory with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole.
Wesley Bryan was in the lead all the way, scoring four bogey-free birdies to get within one stroke late in the round, but just after Horschel made his final birdie, Bryan missed a par putt from just outside two feet to fall back to three strokes behind.
Brian birdied the 18th hole to finish second with a 68 and qualify for the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks later, where he was playing on a sponsor’s exemption. Kevin Tway finished third with a 69.
Horschel finished at 23-under 265 and won $720,000.
It was his eighth victory on the PGA Tour and his first in nearly two years, which puts him in contention for next month’s PGA Championship and possibly the next $20 million signature event, the Wells Fargo Championship.
A former FedExCup champion, Horschel was used to playing in these events — mixed-sport tournaments are seen as a chance for young players to get their first win — and regaining his confidence was crucial.
He took control with four straight birdies starting on the par-3 second hole, a 31 in the first nine holes and an eagle on the 12th hole, then went bogey-free for the final 30 holes of the tournament, delivering one of his best final rounds when it mattered most.
It was almost a year ago at the Memorial that Horschel, the defending champion at Muirfield Village, shot 84 and teared up as he described how his confidence had sunk after missing a FedEx Cup playoff for the first time since 2012.
He showed signs of that with two top 10 finishes this year, and now he has the win to prove it, securing him a spot in the PGA Championship at Valhalla as well as next year’s tournament at The Sentry in Kapalua.
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