Billy Horschel on precipice of career-changing Open win; seizes 54-hole lead

Billy Horschel is close to changing the course of his career and becoming a major champion at The Open.

Major championship victories define a golfer’s legacy, so it’s no wonder why Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods rank as the two greatest golfers of all time. Nicklaus won 18, while Woods captured 15, with his most recent coming at Augusta National in 2019.

Billy Horschel, meanwhile, has never won a major and has never really come close to doing so. His best result came at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, where he tied for fourth. Horschel actually held a share of the 36-hole lead with Phil Mickelson then, but Justin Rose went on to win in Philadelphia.

All these years later, Horschel holds a one-shot lead at The 152nd Open Championship after 54 holes, thanks to a superb 2-under 69 on Saturday.

He prevailed in the battle against the elements, even turning his cap around to avoid raindrops. But his short game worked wonders, especially on the back nine, as Horschel made clutch par save after par save while fellow contenders stumbled around him.

The former Florida Gator did bogey the 11th and 18th holes, yet everyone dropped a shot somewhere on the back nine. But now Horschel, at 37 years old, has the opportunity of a lifetime. He has the chance to change the course of his career and become a major champion.

“I’ve worked my entire life to be in this position,” Horschel said after.

“I’ve been in the lead many times going into a final round. Obviously, this is a major. It means a little bit more. We all know that. We know what this means to everyone. I know what it means to my legacy in golf and what I want to do and accomplish. But I’m excited to be here. I’ve wanted to be here my entire life. I’m finally here. I’m embracing it.”

Horschel posted a solid finish earlier in the year at the PGA Championship, tying for eighth. He also made the cut at the U.S. Open, tying for 41st at Pinehurst. But before that solid performance at Valhalla in May, Horschel’s last top 10 in a major came way back at Merion—the first major he played professionally. He certainly had some struggles in between then, notably at the Memorial last year, where he began Jack Nicklaus’ event with an eye-opening 84.

But he does have eight PGA Tour victories to his name, including this year at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

“Something I’ve done this year, and I’ve done a better job this week of it, or tried to do a better job, is sort of manifest seeing myself holding the trophy before I go to sleep every night, envisioning myself holding that trophy on 18, walking out to the crowd and being congratulated as Open champion,” Horschel said.

“That’s what I’m going to do again tonight, and hopefully that comes true [on Sunday]. If it doesn’t, then I’ll get back on the grind and work harder to get back in a position like this again.”

Horschel has worked tirelessly this year to get back to the pinnacle of the sport, where he was in 2014 when he won the FedEx Cup title. But he has also learned quite a bit about himself after spending nearly 15 years out on tour.

“I think I’ve learned how to handle my emotions. I’ve learned how to embrace a lot of things—I’m not saying I’m afraid of failing. I’m never afraid to fail. I think I hate when I don’t do well and I get criticism from outside, and I’m letting those criticisms affect my vision of myself,” Horschel explained.

“So yeah, I think, if it’s my time tomorrow, it’s my time, and I’m going to be ecstatic. If it’s not, then we’ll get on the horse again, and we’ll work hard to get back in that position again.”

Horschel hoisting the Claret Jug on Sunday would undoubtedly lead to a glorious celebration for him and his family. But he is also well aware that he can just as easily come up short. That’s the game of golf. So many outside factors go into determining major championships. A healthy dose of luck is involved, too. Horschel knows that, which explains why he is content with who he is and how his career has played out to date.

“I look at guys that have had heck of careers, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, who else am I going to forget in there? I’m sure there’s a couple other guys in there that haven’t won majors, that have had really quality careers, and they don’t have a major on their record,” Horschel said.

“Understanding that it’s okay if a major is not in the cards, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to work my butt off and do everything I can to sort of change that.”

Hard work almost always pays off, but a positive attitude and a remarkable short game also pay dividends in major championships.

Horschel has had that all week, but his play around the greens has been remarkable. He has gotten up and down out of Royal Troon’s treacherous pot bunkers 8-out-of-8 times. Horschel also leads the field in overall strokes gained this week, a testament to how everything is clicking for him.

But now, the question is, can Horschel keep it going for one more day?

If he does, his career will undoubtedly change.

For the better.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.