A complete list of the golf equipment Billy Horschel used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship:
DRIVER:Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black TR 6 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS:Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX shaft, (18 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80g 6.5 TX shaft
Horschel goes over the $36 million mark in career earnings in his 333rd starts.
It wasn’t a big-money signature event like this week’s RBC Heritage was but, there was still $4 million on the line at the 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship, with $720,000 going to the winner.
And the winner was Billy Horschel, who now has eight wins in his PGA Tour career. The second opposite-field event also had 300 FedEx Cup points on the line for the victor.
Horschel goes over the $36 million mark in career earnings in his 333rd start.
Wesley Bryan pocketed $436,00 for his solo second. Kevin Tway banked $276,000 for his solo third.
See the complete prize money payouts at the 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.
“Listen, Taylor Swift is massive in my household.”
Billy Horschel is a warrior. A PGA Tour player known for a fiery side and a willingness to speak his mind, the University of Florida product is not one to back down from a battle.
But in his house, Horschel is outnumbered. And since he knows what’s good for him, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion figured if he was going to acquiesce on a topic, it might as well be Taylor Swift. See, the 14-time Grammy winner is a big deal in the Horschel home, where daughters Skylar and Colbie and wife Brittany are all big fans.
“Listen, Taylor Swift is massive in my household. My girls went to a Taylor Swift concert last year in Atlanta with my wife and they are massive Swifties,” Horschel explained.
So, he’s not sure what planted the seed in his head — perhaps it was pre-teens playing a Swift-heavy playlist — but Horschel seemed to inadvertently channel his inner-Swiftie when he turned to his wife and said he needed to play with a little more reckless abandon on the golf course.
“I sort of had a dream I think Sunday night of Players, woke up Monday morning and we were talking about Valspar,” Horschel recalled. “Before I left that Monday morning, I said yeah, I think I’m just going to put a Sharpie on my left wrist that says ‘fearless’ because I had a dream seeing fearless on my left wrist. She said, ‘Well, I’ll just make you a bracelet,’ so she made me a bracelet. I didn’t realize this either, I don’t think my wife realized it at the time, I guess Taylor Swift’s second or third album is ‘Fearless’ and she has a song ‘Fearless.’ I’m not the biggest Swiftie.
“I get asked about it a lot from the fans now when I sign autographs, they ask if I’m a Swiftie or are they friendship bracelets or anything. It’s a cool little thing, but also just puts me in the right mind frame of when I’m playing golf of what I want to be thinking about.”
Horschel has clearly been playing with less fear on the golf course in recent days, posting four top-25 finishes in his first eight starts this season, including a T-7 at the Texas Childrens Houston Open last weekend in which he posted a 64 on Sunday to climb near the top of the leaderboard.
Heading into this week’s Valero Texas Open, a place where he’s traditionally finished strong, the seven-time PGA Tour winner feels like he’s, well, 22.
“The game’s been in a really good spot all year. You look at the stats in every department, it’s in a really good spot. It’s sort of been more or less getting out of my own way. I say getting out of my own way,” Horschel said. “When you hit shots that you’re not accustomed to hitting the way I did last year, you start to have some mental little demons in there a little bit, so I’ve had to clear those out and replace them with better golf shots.
“We’re just trying to build the momentum. Over my career historically, we can go back around look, I tend to play well as I build momentum. My wins come from playing well multiple weeks in a row and that’s how it’s always been in my career. So hopefully I can continue to build that momentum until that victory pops up again.”
Billy Horschel of the United States watches his shot from the first tee during the final round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on March 31, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
Horschel has extra motivation to win at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. For just the second time since 2014, he’s not in the field for the Masters, meaning he’ll need a victory to make his 10th appearance in the April major.
It adds pressure, certainly, but the vet knows he’s locked in at the right time.
“Yeah, I’m not in Augusta and my main focus this week is to win,” he said. “Listen, I’m not very happy that I’m not in Augusta. I’ve been fortunate enough to play there quite a few times, and I play the game of golf because I want to create a legacy, that’s all I’ve ever cared about. The money aspect is great, but I’ve always understood that if you play well and you win golf tournaments, the financial side takes care of itself. I want to be remembered for what I did on the golf course and winning golf tournaments and winning golf tournaments that you can put your name next to legends in the game of golf and players that are the best in that generation that you’re playing against.
“I’m not happy that I’m not in Augusta or any of the majors as we sit here right now, but listen, it’s my own fault. I can’t do anything about that, I didn’t play well last year, but the great thing is this game of golf gives you opportunities to correct that wrong and I’m trying the best I can right now to make up for a bad year last year and get myself back to where I feel like I deserve to be in the game of golf or I want to be in the game of golf.”
One PGA Tour player admitted he’s unlikely to return to the event in the future.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A volatile mix of huge crowds, mud and alcohol at the WM Phoenix Open had fans and players talking about changes needed to keep the event safe while maintaining its unique atmosphere.
On Saturday, the tournament shut its gates in the early afternoon, leaving ticketed fans unable to gain entry. At the same time, alcohol and food sales were cut off — all in an attempt to ease crowding near the entrance. The issue, organizers believed, was that muddy conditions left much of the course unsuitable for fans, forcing them to crowd into smaller areas.
The Scottsdale Police Department also cited the unusual weather.
“The course conditions were not normal due to the mud and rain,” Allison Sempsis, the department’s public information officer, said. “This resulted in the large crowds only occupying a small portion of the course and caused large buildup of crowds.”
Sempsis also noted that, at one point, fans were being allowed in without having their tickets scanned.
“There was a large group of attendees that were stopped before going through the gate,” Sempsis said. “Attendees were waved through for a short time period in order to keep everyone safe and to create a larger space for people to move around on the course.”
The tournament stopped announcing daily attendance figures in 2019. The last time attendance was made public, 576,807 fans watched the four days of tournament action, including over 200,000 on Saturday, which is typically the most crowded and chaotic day.
Sempsis said, “Every year after the event, SPD and other partnerships continually assess and evaluate what can be done the following year to ensure everyone attending the event is safe and has a good experience.”
As intoxicated fans reveled in the conditions Saturday, safety came into question.
All over the course, shirtless fans found muddy hills to slide down. A shirtless fan leaped into a bunker on the 16th hole to do sand angels. Videos of fans who were unable to stand straight took hold on various social media sites.
For many tournament regulars, those events and other logistical issues tipped the scales.
One regular attendee, Todd Williams of Phoenix, has gone to the Open for 10 straight years but said the tournament would need to announce “drastic changes such as multiple new entrance points and more concessions” for him to continue attending.
“I’m all for the party and craziness,” Williams said. “The insane and rowdy crowds make the event. This year, Friday felt like a normal Saturday, and Saturday was just complete chaos. It was hard to enjoy the event when it took 30-plus minutes at any concessions and bathrooms were long waits, too.”
Fans cheer from the stands on the 16th hole during the 2024 Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2024.
Elizabeth Suchocki, a regular attendee who lives in Tempe, echoed that sentiment.
“I felt cramped and anxious,” Suchocki said. “All of a sudden, there were just so many people in our area. … But people just kept packing in and packing in and there were people all over. And I was like OK, this is a lot of people, this is very uncomfortable.”
Suchocki was frustrated by the lack of communication from the tournament. At 2:05 p.m. Saturday, the Phoenix Open’s X account posted a message notifying fans that gates were closed but made no mention of food or alcohol sales being impacted. And with overcrowding on the course, many fans were unable to get cell service.
“If you’re going to shut down alcohol, if you’re going to shut down food, you need to communicate that over the speakers,” Suchocki said, “because it created more chaos.”
When the tournament’s account posted a video on X on Sunday morning celebrating the party atmosphere on the 16th hole, it received 50 replies, almost all of which were critical.
“Your event has become an embarrassment,” one reply read. “It’s out of control.”
“Embarrassing the game,” read another. “PGA players need to boycott next year.”
Fans pack the walkway near the 10th hole during the third round of the 2024 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Tour pros debate where to draw the line
Billy Horschel likes the WM Phoenix Open. Loves it, even. Every year, playing in the event is a priority for him. Partly because he believes TPC Scottsdale suits his game, but for more than that, too.
“I love the energy, I love the crowds,” Horschel said. “I love some of the funny things they say.”
Typically, the players who choose to participate in the Phoenix Open revel in the event’s unique role on tour. With a handful of notable exceptions, like Chris DiMarco’s famous comments in 2004, they celebrate the atmosphere.
After his win in Sunday’s playoff, champion Nick Taylor said, “The atmosphere has been incredible all week.”
But that sentiment began to shift for some. By Sunday afternoon, Horschel had seen enough. That’s when he was shown on video yelling at a fan for heckling during Nicolo Galletti’s backswing. “Buddy, when he’s over a shot, shut the hell up, dude,” Horschel told the fan. “He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here. It’s our (expletive) job.”
Outside the clubhouse after his round, Horschel explained to The Republic where he draws the line.
“When you’re impacting the golf tournament, that’s where it gets a little bit too much,” Horschel said. “And when you’re saying personal things. The last couple of years, the guys I’ve played with, I’ve heard some personal stuff yelled at them. And I think that’s just not right.”
Whether players decide not to return to the tournament remains to be seen, but Horschel said it became a discussion point this week.
“It’s been talked about amongst players about, if this would continue to escalate over the next few years, you could see players not want to come here,” Horschel said. “And that’s an unfortunate situation.”
Horschel said he would be back, but Zach Johnson — another player who was shown in a viral video over the weekend arguing with fans — was not so committed.
“You’re hitting me at a very emotional point right now, so if I were to say if I’m gonna come back, I’d probably say no,” Johnson told The Republic. “But at the same time, I have no idea.”
Johnson added, “This tournament has been inappropriate and crossed the line since I’ve been on tour and this is my 21st year.”
He plays in it, he said, because he likes the course. But this week, his frustrations mounted.
“I don’t know what the line is, but you have people falling out of the rafters, you have fights in the stands,” Johnson said. “It’s to the point where now, how do you reel it in? Because it’s taken on a life of its own. I think the Thunderbirds probably need to do something about it. I’m assuming they’re ashamed. Because at some point, somebody’s either gonna really, really get hurt or worse.”
Fans cheer from the stands on the 16th hole during the 2024 Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
Like Johnson, Horschel worries about a tragedy occurring with the number of intoxicated fans on the course.
“We all know alcohol plays a massive factor in all of this,” Horschel said. “And I think limiting the alcohol sales, limiting what time alcohol starts, limiting how many drinks someone can buy. I think there’s a couple different (solutions) that can happen.”
Horschel said he spoke with the Thunderbirds — the group that runs the tournament — to voice his complaints.
“I think they understand the situation and they want to do right for everyone involved with this tournament,” Horschel said. “So we’ll see what happens.”
Johnson has played this event 14 times and knows the deal. For him to lose his cool a bit shows you how different a scenario this was. That said, he should also know better. This is the one tournament every year where fans are allowed to let the pros hear it when they goof — as opposed to nearly every other sport where that’s the norm. After hitting a bad shot, Johnson should’ve just put his head down and left the area.
On the other hand, Billy Horschel confronting a fan who was yelling during Nicolo Galletti’s swing feels a bit more warranted.
There’s a really fine line at this event, which evidently becomes harder to find each year. Go to TPC Scottsdale expecting a party, of course, but doing something as basic as waiting five seconds before yelling when someone is taking a shot is hardly asking much at all.
It’s entirely understandable Horschel would look out for his playing partner. And it makes you wonder if this incredibly successful event is overdue for some tweaks to make sure it stays that way.
There’s something special brewing in La Quinta, California.
Thanks to a third-round 12-under 60 at La Quinta Country Club, amateur Nick Dunlap (27 under) holds the outright lead at the American Express. Dunlap made 10 birdies and an eagle on the par-5 6th (his 15th hole of the day). If he goes on to win Sunday, he’d be the first amateur to win on Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
Sam Burns is alone in second at 24 under, and Justin Thomas is 23 under, solo third and four back.
While the college kid is tearing it up, there are several big names heading home a day early after missing the 54-hole cut.
Poulter and Horschel traded some online barbs about swing speeds and LIV money.
The latest exchange of digital barbs between two long-time antagonists has led to Ian Poulter claiming Billy Horschel asked for $45 million to join LIV Golf.
It started out as a social-media post from Poulter about swing speeds. Horschel couldn’t resist calling B.S., writing on X that Poulter was “one of those guys that over exaggerate their club head speed.”
A chart that Horschel posted showed Poulter’s swing speed at 110 mph but Poulter responded that the numbers were wrong, that his swing speed is 115 mph.
😂😂😂 This is so funny. My own swing speed is 115MPH I carry it 290-295 Yards. So unless these Yardages are set from landing on a Runway or up Mount Everest they’re all wrong. All numbers given should be carry and also launch conditions need to be stated. 👍🏼💪🏼🚀
That led to a further discussion of numbers with Poulter making the claim that Horschel had asked for nearly $50 million to join LIV Golf, the upstart rival league led by Greg Norman and financially backed by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund.
It’s alright Billy… I’m normally ok with numbers.. So I got it wrong by about $9 Million per MPH difference that you asked for to come join LIV. What’s a few numbers between friends. 😉😜🤷🏼♂️😘 https://t.co/HwM65rffpZ
Poulter ended his post with: “What’s a few numbers between friends.”
The duo were teammates nearly a decade ago when they tied for third at the Franklin Templeton Shootout, an old silly season event that preceded the QBE Shootout, which was replaced by the mixed-team Grant Thornton Invitational this year.
Poulter joined LIV before its first event in June of 2022. He reportedly received about $20 million to join the circuit.
What took place at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational was a new concept – and they want more of it.
NAPLES, Fla. – Rose Zhang wasn’t even born the last time the PGA Tour and LPGA held a mixed-team event. Ludvig Aberg was a mere 2 months old in December of 1999, when legends Laura Davies and John Daly won the final edition of the JCPenney Classic.
For generations of players, what took place this week at the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitation was a new concept – and they want more of it.
“We need to do this for the game of golf,” said Billy Horschel of bringing the two tours together. “We do a lot of stuff that looks out for the players, but we need to make sure we are taking care of the fans and thinking about the fans more.”
Speaking of fans, there were more at Tiburon Golf Club than at previous QBE Shootouts and CME Group Tour Championships. Cheyenne Knight teed off early with partner Tom Hoge and was surprised by the number of fans on the first tee. Ticket sales and concession sales doubled this week compared to last year’s QBE and hospitality sold out, according to tournament officials.
Knight hopes some of these local fans come back next year for the CME, where the winner will receive a $4 million first-place check, the largest in all of women’s sports.
Joel Dahmen marveled at the number of kids he saw this week, particularly little girls, far more than an average week on the PGA Tour, he said. He called watching Lexi Thompson’s ace on Saturday one of the highlights of his year, and said he’d like to see the Grant Thornton field expand from 16 teams in 2024.
“There’s no reason we can’t have more mixed-team events,” said Dahmen after Saturday foursomes. “There are so many events on the PGA Tour, ratings aren’t always amazing in some of those fields. To bring in the women’s game would be awesome.
“I was completely outclassed today by Lexi.”
Lexi Thompson of the United States and Rickie Fowler of the United States look on from the first green during the second round of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club on December 09, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Early week buzz at the Grant Thornton was overshadowed by U.S. Golf Association and R&A rollback news and Jon Rahm to LIV Golf drama, controversies that dominated the golf chatter on social media and beyond. The action at Tiburon, however, provided a much-needed escape from that which divides golf fans.
The Grant Thornton was a celebration of what unites – camaraderie, competition and inspiration. Thursday’s junior clinic with Amy Bockerstette, Jessica Korda, Leona Maguire and Dahmen epitomizes what golf can do for good. Bockerstette’s “I Got This Foundation” is one of the charities that benefits from money raised this week.
Walking onto the first tee Friday, Sahith Theegala turned to Dahmen’s caddie and noted how “cool” it was to play in the same group as Lilia Vu, the first world No. 1 he’d ever played alongside, and to partner with Zhang, a dominant amateur he predicted would be a future No. 1 on the LPGA.
“Me and Joel were joking that Lilia and Rose will be better than maybe we ever will be,” said Theegala, who won his first PGA Tour title at this year’s Fortinet Championship.
PGA Tour players admired the games of LPGA players all week, and it felt genuine. Former No. 1 Jason Day asked Lydia Ko about her wedge game, noting that he’d be trying to emulate his Kiwi partner during the offseason.
Major champion Justin Rose described his playing partner, Charley Hull, as an old-school player, detailing the way she shapes her iron shots. He called Hull “fearless” and described her short game as “unbelievable.”
Such praise goes a long way in building respect for female players who fight weekly for the attention of not just the sports world, but of those already within the golf landscape.
Justin Rose of England and Charley Hull of England talk on the second green during the first round of the Grant Thornton Invitational at Tiburon Golf Club on December 08, 2023 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas DeFelice/Getty Images)
Rose, who founded and backed the Rose Ladies Series during the COVID-19 pandemic to give British players a place to compete, gets it more than most.
“You need fan awareness to have the pay equality,” said Rose. “Because obviously at the end of the day, it’s a commercial business. You need the eyes watching it to kind of make the TV dollars on the back end.
“So I think obviously fans being able to pick their favorite players, to be a bit more aware around the skill level around the women’s game, identify with the players and their stories – they’re more likely to watch going forward. I think this is absolutely one of those key events to help do that.”
Nick Taylor took note how the fans in Naples reacted with surprise to the women often hitting it closer than their male counterparts. There was no Shotlink available this week, but hopefully next year as the unique formats – particularly the modified fourball, where players hit drives and then switch balls – can provide some interesting data points.
Making Olympic golf a mixed event has long been talked about and came up once again in Naples, as did a larger mixed team event like the Presidents Cup.
“Looking at my grand ball, someone’s got to step up,” said Horshel.
“A team competition, Ryder Cup-style between the U.S. and Europe, or whether it be the U.S. and the world, men and women … I think that would be another home run for everyone involved. I think that’s coming down the line.
“If it’s not being talked about then I don’t know, maybe we need to change the people in the positions and get some more innovative thinkers in there.”
“Other than everything? Their poise is incredible,” said Nick Taylor.
NAPLES, Fla. – There are new fans out at Tiburon Golf Club for this week’s Grant Thornton Invitational. In fact, tournament officials say ticket sales and concession sales at the same venue as the QBE Shootout have more than doubled since the format changed this year to a mixed-team event.
Hospitality for the 16-team event and Saturday’s concert on the Tiburon driving range sold out.
That was always the hope, of course, that putting the PGA Tour and LPGA together would draw more interest.
For many PGA Tour players, this marks the first time they’ve teed it up in competition with an elite LPGA player, and it’s been an eye-opening experience.
Those who follow the women’s game closely have long said that male amateur players can learn more from watching the LPGA than the PGA Tour because it’s a more relatable game.
Golfweek asked several PGA Tour players in the field what they think male amateur players can learn from the women and aside from “everything,” here’s what they said:
