Nobody could deny that Billy Horschel was a worthy winner of the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday. Any guy who finishes the final day birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle is a deserving champion, even granted those scores were all returned on par-fives. Indeed, on just two par-fives: the 17th and 18th holes of the West Course at Wentworth, the first time round in regulation play, the second in a playoff after he, Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence had tied on 268, 20 under par. Lawrence was eliminated after the first playoff hole.
It was the second time in four seasons that Horschel has won this tournament. This time around he had seven consecutive birdies during his third round of 65 and he was thrilled with the reception he received on Sunday afternoon despite what he had just done to the man most spectators wanted to win. “It’s heart-warming, it really is,” said the 37-year-old Floridian. “I believe that I’ve shown the appreciation to come over here. I’ve made the effort and shown how much I love it over here. I appreciate the fans and all the support, and in return they have given me tons of love, whether it’s here or at the Open Championship.”
As for the man he eventually vanquished in overtime? “I think he’s the best player in our generation. You see the support he has here; you see the support he has around the world. He has the most crowds and supporters outside of Tiger Woods. He’s great for the game of golf.”
Alas, poor Rory. The scores for his final four holes read eagle-par-birdie-birdie and it wasn’t good enough to win. “It just shows the standard out here,” he said ruefully. “Two weeks in a row, I’ve played well. Just not quite well enough.” The previous week he had finished second by a shot at the Irish Open. McIlroy has won twice this year, although not since May, since when his putting errors on two of the last three holes helped Bryson DeChambeau to the US Open in June and now September has given him something of a kicking, albeit a financially rewarding one. “If you slip up just a little bit or don’t make a birdie on a crucial hole, someone is always waiting to take advantage of that,” he said rather philosophically. “But you know, happy with where my game is and happy where it’s trending.”
These days the PGA Championship is not merely a golf tournament. It is now styled as a ‘festival’, which includes musical entertainment performed from a stage in the tented village. In this regard, one might argue the European/DP World Tour was ahead of LIV and its ‘Golf But Louder’ message. Talking of which, last week also saw the conclusion of the 2024 LIV Golf season, the curtain being brought down with the staging of the LIV Golf Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas. Victory went to Ripper Golf Club, an all-Aussie franchise comprising Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman. They prevailed over joint runners-up the Aces and the Iron Heads teams.
On the course, the LIV story will resume in February. Off the course, who knows what 2025 will hold for the world of professional golf?
You can follow Robert Green on Twitter @robrtgreen and enjoy his other blog f-factors.com as well as his golf archive on robertgreen-golf.com
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