Billy Horschel entered the FedEx Cup playoffs ranked No. 68 in the points list, but got hot at just the right time of the year.
After missing the cut at The Barclays, he fell to No. 82 and in danger of being eliminated before he made it to the BMW Championship.
He talked with his wife, who will deliver the couple’s first child in a couple of weeks, and began to think ahead to the fall series and the start of the 2014-2105 season.
That simple act seemed to free his mind and allowed him to play a relaxed style of golf that evidently has a very positive affect on one’s putting.
After The Barclays, Horschel strung together 12 consecutive rounds in the 60’s and made putts from everywhere.
A poorly struck second shot on the 72nd hole at the Deutsche Bank resulted in a double-bogey-six that prevented him from winning in Boston, but he settled for runner-up.
He appeared cool, calm and collected in posting 68-66-63-69 to win the BMW Championship in Denver at historic Cherry Hills. He rolled into the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta with a ton of confidence and the hottest putter in the world.
Rory McIlroy contended, but ran out of gas and finished tied with 44-year-old Jim Furyk for runner-up.
Since the Open Championship at the end of July, McIlroy has three wins and six top-10 finishes in his last seven starts against the best competition golf can produce.
At 27 years old, Horschel becomes the youngest winner of the FedEx Cup. His streak of 12 consecutive rounds in the 60’s in the playoffs is the longest recorded. Not even Tiger, Phil or Rory can match that amazing statistic.
Another interesting fact from the 2014 Tour Championship is that half of the 29 players in the field were under the age of 30. It was the youngest field ever for the Tour Championship with an average age of 31.
Horschel pocketed $597,000 for his runner-up at the Deutshce Bank. He added $1.44 million for each of his wins at the BMW and Tour Championships.
That total plus the $10 million FedEx Cup prize money brings his earnings to just under $13.4 million for the last three weeks.
The new baby will not have to worry about daddy bringing home sufficient income for diapers and formula.