Billy Horschel has made FedEx Cup playoffs 10 years in a row. He's got some work to make it 11
Billy Horschel has a streak of 10 consecutive appearances in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, with six years among the top-30 and a trip to the Tour Championship
That streak includes a FedEx Cup championship in 2014.
However, the Ponte Vedra Beach resident and University of Florida graduate has work to do this week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. if he wants to maintain that streak.
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Horschel is 116th on the points list entering the tournament, in the first season in which the cut for the first FedEx Cup playoff next week at the St. Jude Classic is 70, a reduction from 125 in previous seasons. Horschel is 244 points behind the player on the No. 70 bubble, Austin Eckroat and needs to finish with at least a tie for second to qualify for the playoffs.
Horschel tied for 13th in last week’s 3M Championship, his best finish since a tie for 11th with Sam Burns as a partner in the Zurich Classic in April. The seven-time PGA Tour winner has only two top-10s this season, the last coming with a tie for ninth in the Dell Technologies Match Play.
He had four rounds of 70 or better, starting with a 66 in the first round. Horschel indicated he was trending in the right direction but it might be too little, too late.
“It validates everything we've been doing,” he said of his best-scoring week on the Tour this season. “Sometimes when you're working hard and you see the results in practice and you feel like you've prepped well leading into a tournament and it's not transferring over or you're not seeing that in the tournament or seeing all the good work you've put in, it sort of can be a little frustrating at times.
“But I think it's just more of a validation that we've been doing great stuff, and it was just a matter of time as long as I didn't become impatient.”
Harman leads area players
Brian Harman’s victory two weeks ago in the British Open vaulted the St. Simons Island, Ga., resident to sixth on the FedEx Cup points list, which is tops among First Coast or Golden Isles players.
Harris English of St. Simons is next at 43rd, followed by J.T. Poston (49th) and Keith Mitchell of St. Simons (57th), and Sam Ryder of Atlantic Beach (62nd).
Next on the list are David Lingmerth of Ponte Vedra Beach (74th) and Davis Thompson of St. Simons (75th). Lingmerth has to finish in a two-way tie for 26th and Thompson solo 25th to have a chance of making the playoffs.
Tyson Alexander of Ponte Vedra Beach (101st) need to finish third or better at Greensboro to qualify and Patton Kizzire of St. Simons (121st) has to be solo second or win.
And the ultimate job one this week for Trey Mullinax (125th), Russell Knox (141st), Carl Yuan (150th) and Doc Redman (157th) is simple: win or they're out.
Early commitments
Major champions David Duval, Vijay Singh and Mark Calcavecchia are among the players to have committed for the Constellation Furyk & Friends, the PGA Tour Champions event Oct. 6-8 at the Timuquana Country Club.
Duval is a Jacksonville native who learned the game at Timuquana while his father Bob was the head professional. Singh is a Ponte Vedra Beach resident. Duval and Calcavecchia are both past British Open champions and Singh won two PGA titles and the 2000 Masters.
The three combined for 60 PGA Tour titles.
Also committing is former University of Florida player Chris DiMarco.
Johnson names Cink to staff
Zach Johnson of St. Simons has added Stewart Cink as an assistant captain for the Ryder Cup in September in Italy. Cink, who played in five Ryder Cups, is an international match play assistant for the first time.
“Stewart is someone I can trust will give me honest and constructive feedback as we head into the final stages of preparing for the Ryder Cup,” Johnson said in a statement.
Cink won the 2009 British Open.
PGA TOUR
Event: Wyndham Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.
At stake: $7.6 million purse ($1,368,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Tom Kim.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.); CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Tyson Alexander, Jonathan Byrd, Harris English, Billy Horschel, Zach Johnson, Patton Kizzire, Russell Knox, David Lingmerth, Trey Mullinax, J.T. Poston, Doc Redman, Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompson, Carl Yuan.
Notable: This is the final regular season event of the FedEx Cup season. The top-70 in points advance to the FedEx St. Jude Classic near Memphis next week. … Austin Eckroat is on the bubble at No. 70 with 594 points. Among notable players lagging are Justin Thomas (No. 79, 48 points back), Adam Scott (No. 81, 77 back) and Gary Woodland (No. 97, 158 points back). … Area players needing a good week are David Lingmerth (No. 74, 31 points back), Davis Thompson (No. 75, 33 points back), Billy Horschel (No. 116, 244 points back). … Kim shot 61 in the final round and beat Sungjae Im and John Huh by five shots.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
Event: LIV Golf at the Greenbrier, Friday-Sunday, Greenbrier Resort, Old White Course, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
At stake: $20 million purse ($4 million to the winner).
Defending champion: First-time event.
TV: CW (Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Cameron Smith.
Notable: Smith enters the week seven points behind leader Talor Gooch on the LIV individual standings.
LPGA TOUR
Event: Women’s Scottish Open, Thursday-Sunday, Dundonald Links, Ayshire, Scotland.
At stake: $2 million purse ($300,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Ayaka Furue.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-noon).
Area players entered: Mel Reid.
Notable: Furue fired a closing 62 and beat last week’s Evian Masters winner Celine Boutier by three shots.
KORN FERRY TOUR
Event: Utah Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Oakridge Country Club, Farmington, Utah.
At stake: $1 million purse ($180,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Andrew Kozan.
TV: None.
Area players entered: Blayne Barber, A.J. Crouch, Jared Wolfe.
Notable: Kozan shot 63 in the final round and beat Justin Suh, Patrick Fishburn and Ashton Van Horne by one shot.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Billy Horschel needs a tie for second this week to make FedEx Cup playoffs
