DUBLIN, Ohio – Billy Horschel ended any doubts about his victory at Muirfield Village with an eagle putt from one end of the green to the other in hole 15, sending him to a 4-shot victory Sunday at Memorial.
Horschel had a 5-shot lead at the start of a sun-drenched final round and no one ever came close to less than 2 shots. He closed with a pair of 72.
There were still some nervous moments.
Horschel’s streak of 49 consecutive holes without a bogey ended in the sixth hole. He didn’t make his first bird until hole 10. He had to fight for the bogey at par-3 12 which reduced his lead to 2 over Aaron Wise.
Before the long eagle, Horschel was saved with a pair of 12-foot putts in hole 13 and 8-foot putt in 14.
Billy Horschel sank an eagle putt from one end of the green to the other in hole 15, sending him to a 4-shot victory Sunday at the Memorial. Getty Images
And then it was over. From the front of the green at par-5 15, the Horschel putt from within 55 feet had the perfect line and perfect speed, bending to the left and falling to the left side of the cup as it stretched. both arms silent, in disbelief. celebration.
“Like you, big man,” Horschel told tournament host Jack Nicklaus when he finished.
His advantage was up to 4 shots, and it was a comfortable finish. Horschel finished 13 under 275 and earned $ 2.16 million, the highest salary of his career. As a high event, the victory includes a three-year exemption.
Horschel said he has learned from Tiger Woods and Nicklaus that he should not do anything special with a 5-shot lead unless the time comes. He was making a call to hole 15 after Wise climbed a 2-foot wedge for the bird.
“If I had to do something special, I was ready for it,” he said. “Doing that was huge.”
Wise did what he could in such a difficult final round that no one shot better than 69. He and Joaquin Niemann were the only players to put serious pressure on Horschel. He opened the back nine with a pair of birds and saved the pair from the back bunker on the 12th. But he dropped a shot on the 13th just as Horschel looked trembling.
Wise made a pointless bogey in the final hole for a 71 to finish second alone.
Cameron Smith, who had the lead of 36 holes, also started 5 shots behind. He had a pair of double boogies for a 42 on the nine forwards and it was never a factor.
Niemann, who won another elevated event on the Riviera at the Genesis Invitational, made a strong move and crawled within his reach until his wedge on the 14th found a bunker, resulting in a double bogey. He responded with two birdies, finished with a double bogey and fired 71. He tied third with defending champion Patrick Cantlay (71).
Before the handshake with Nicklaus, Horschel was assaulted by his three children. He now has seven wins on the PGA Tour. His wife has seen him win. His parents have seen him win. This was the first time her children had been there, and they were bouncing on the firm greens.
This could have been as great as any pressure Horschel felt.
“Having a 5-shot lead, knowing it was mine to win, I was really looking forward to getting the monkey out of my back,” he said of the victory with his children in attendance.
Horschel reaches the top 10 in the world, the highest ever, thanks to a year that has finally brought some consistency in a game of success and failure. He has won three victories in the last 15 months, all against strong fields: the Dell Match Play and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last year, and now this one.
It might even be enough to finally be considered for an American team with the Presidents Cup later this year.