A tight PGA Tour event turned out to be a relatively stress-free victory for Billy Horschel, who claimed the 2022 Memorial Tournament in Muirfield Village four times. With the classification expanding and contracting as a living organism not only over the weekend but also during the last nine on Sunday, the Florida product was able to defend Aaron Wise and Joaquin Niemann on the path to its seventh victory of his career in the PGA Tour and the first. in a punch event since 2017.
Scored by an eagle on par-5 15, Horschel’s first in 573 holes played at Muirfield Village, the 35-year-old’s consistently stellar form has finally been rewarded, as he has been one of the most underrated players in 2022. Arriving in Dublin, Ohio, with two runners-up this season, it was his poor performance in last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge that set him on fire under Horschel, as if he needed to.
“We have not done so well in the last two weeks [go through his process]and Fooch [caddie Mark Fulcher] and I just had a post-Colonial conversation after we missed the cut last week, “said Horschel, who claimed $ 2.2 million for his Memorial victory.” We were both very excited, we missed the cut, so we said, “We just have to get back to what we do best, and if we do, it will give us the best chance of success in every shot.”
He has always been a player to thrive on momentum, but this win is very different from the past. His career in the 2014 FedEx Cup Playoffs was the definition of making a snowball from one good start to another, and the same can be said of his victory in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play 2021.
Even last fall, Horschel reached the Tour championship in 29th place in the standings, started 10 times behind Patrick Cantlay and proceeded to make his way to ninth place at the end of the week. He was not selected for the Ryder Cup at the time, did not even receive a call from captain Steve Stricker, and decided to play in the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event of the DP World Tour.
Horschel won.
“I didn’t get that phone call. I was a little upset. I was a little dialed,” Horschel said after his victory at Wentworth. “He gave me a little fire in the ass or ass, to be kind enough not to show anything, but you know, he just gave me a little fire, not that I needed it.”
So maybe not everything is impetus, but a bit of added motivation that drives Horschel right now. Feeling despised, as if he did not receive the attention he deserves, has shown that he sends him to victory more than once at this point. This should no longer be a problem for the man who is expected to reach number 11 in the official world golf rankings, beating Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris.
Horschel was already ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup standings while closing out the Masters 2023, Sentry Tournament of Champions, PGA Championship and Players Championship.
No wonder Horschel is getting a call-up this fall for the Presidents Cup in Quail Hollow, as the United States will look to reload and potentially replace half of its Whistling Straits roster. While this is certainly at the forefront of Horschel’s goals for the year, the next line probably says a major victory in the championship and his best chance in a long time, by chance, will be in two weeks. There’s motivation, there’s momentum, and there’s a real chance Horschel will play a factor in the U.S. Open at the Country Club in two weeks. Grade: A +
Here are the rest of our notes for the 2022 Memorial Tournament:
T3. Joaquin Niemann (-7): Many will point to his double bogey at par-4 14 as a sign that his around the green game still needs work, but I tend to disagree. Niemann was able to bounce with birdies in his next two holes, and after losing on approach in consecutive tournaments, his iron play came back to life. It was a disappointing end as the 23-year-old came close to completing the GOAT double by winning the events of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. The young Chilean has all the skills in the world, and if there are any outstanding stocks available, I will buy them at the opening bell tomorrow. Grade: A-
T5. Max Homa (-6): It was a final round “that would happen if” for the four-time PGA Tour winner, as Homa was flawless for 16 holes. With a pair of double boogies on his back again, it’s worth wondering how those behind him on the golf course would have reacted if they saw 10 of them posted at the clubhouse. Still, it was another impressive outing on a difficult golf course for Homa, and he will now focus his attention on the U.S. Open. After finishing tied for 13th place in the PGA Championship, he may have finally discovered important championships, as they had been problematic for him before. Grade: A-
T5. Will Zalatoris (-6): A disappointment in the Charles Schwab Challenge felt inevitable after his playoff defeat in the PGA Championship. We will let slip this lost cut, as Zalatoris ’strong ball hit returned to Muirfield Village and propelled him to a place in the top five. All indications are that he continued his strong game in major championships at the Country Club. The last time the U.S. Open was in the Northeast, he finished tied for sixth in his championship debut. Grade: B +
T10. Jon Rahm (-4): A 69 in the final round pushed the Spaniard into the top 10 in a way that even Rory McIlroy is proud of. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Rahm’s short play that disappointed him, but his off-tee performance, as he cited being uncomfortable all week with his swing and vision lines. He only hit 29 of 56 lanes and lost shots on the field off the tee for the first time on the PGA Tour since the 2020 Charles Schwab Challenge, the first start of the COVID-19 reboot. Grade: B