Billy Horschel has a 30-foot putt for eagle on the second hole of a playoff at the BMW PGA Championship. If it goes in, Horschel will win. If it doesn't, it will mean a third overtime hole against Rory McIlroy.
After McIlroy missed an eagle from a similar distance, Horschel stepped up and adopted an unconventional putting position. I did my best to win.
“The last few shots, the last few holes, especially in the playoff, my heart was racing, but it's always fun to be in those situations,” Horschel said.
“That's what I've worked hard for and that's what I've always wanted – to be in these conditions, playing against the best players in the world and hopefully come out on top on the day.”
Horschel and McIlroy each shot a five-under 67 on Sunday to finish at 20 under par after regulation. South African Thriston Lawrence shot a seven-under 65 to take the lead and also finished at 20 under par.
But on the first playoff hole, Lawrence made a poor tee shot for bogey, then landed in the snaking water in front of the 18th green, while McIlroy and Horschel made birdies and played comfortably up and down to force a playoff at the second hole.
Both players then reached the fairway. McIlroy hit a high draw with a 3-wood, while Horschel hit a driver for a cut. McIlroy's decision to go with the 3-wood meant he was first from a long distance, giving him a slight advantage in match play. McIlroy then put the pressure on Horschel with all his might, hitting a 4-iron into the middle of the green.
But the American was undeterred, as he continued his striped show, finding the green and setting up a putting contest for glory.
“I'm still a little shocked, but it was a great week, four great days of golf,” Horschel said of his win.
“To come out on top and win against some of the best players in the world, like Rory McIlroy and Matteo, who has come back from a tough battle, it's just an indescribable joy. I don't have the words, but I'm so happy.”
On the losing side was McIlroy, who suffered a tough defeat for the second week in a row after narrowly missing out on the Irish Open at Royal County Down last week.
“Last week was a tough week. This week I came out feeling confident with three birdies on the last hole and then I played really well on the playoff hole and got a couple of birdies,” McIlroy said.
“But you see the standard here. If you make even the slightest mistake or miss a birdie on an important hole, someone's always going to take your chance. I had a chance in regulation. My second shot was a really tricky length. I almost hit my four-iron over and was lucky it didn't go into the water. I needed to get up and down to win in regulation but I was pretty lucky the ball stayed in the air and I made par to get into the playoff.”
McIlroy was actually lucky not to get wet at the end of regulation, but if he had laid up he might have had a better chance of making birdie four and winning the tournament at 21 under par.
But McIlroy made a miraculous eagle on the 17th hole to seize the opportunity.
“I played well two weeks in a row, it just wasn't good enough,” McIlroy added.
“But I'm happy with where my game is at and happy that it's trending.”
Horschel showed the class of his victory by calling his friend “sad” in his on-course post-round interview and also spoke at length about McIlroy in the press conference.
“I have a lot of respect for him. I think he's the best player of our generation. He's done so much for golf. You see the support he has here. You see the support he has around the world. He has the biggest audience and following of anyone other than Tiger Woods. He's great for the game of golf. He's done so many great things,” Horschel said.
“Listen, I'm a golf fan at heart. I play professionally on the PGA and DP World Tours, but I'm a golf fan and I want to see great golf. I want to see the top players play well and win. I know he came close to winning a bunch of times this year. He didn't win and I feel bad for those guys. I kind of feel bad for him not winning because it was another opportunity, but at the same time, it was a chance to go head-to-head with him on the last hole of the playoff. I wouldn't want it any other way.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
