Billy Horschel went from calling himself an 'idiot' to a champion in one day | D'Angelo

DUBLIN, Ohio — In the end, sinking a 53-footer on No. 15 to essentially seal his win at the Memorial Tournament was not the most difficult thing Billy Horschel did on a green Sunday.

That came three holes later when, after capping a four-shot victory over runner-up Aaron Wise, Horschel found himself trying to untangle himself from his three young children, who grabbed onto Daddy's legs and would not let go as he was accepting congratulations from Wise.

Finally, as Skylar and Colbie danced on the green, and Axel was pointing to the Goodyear Blimp, Horschel was able to get through the handshakes before the congratulatory kiss from his wife, Brittany, and the customary handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus.

"I just always wanted that one moment where my family runs out, the kids run out and I can always look back for many years to come and they can look back for their entire lives of being on the green and congratulating their father for a victory," Horschel said.

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Horschel's seventh PGA Tour title was almost entirely stress-free, with the exception of a couple of blips in the middle of the round. But after that 53-footer curved in for eagle, wiping out any momentum Wise gained with a birdie on the same hole, the lead was back to four shots.

All Horschel had to do was not implode over the final three holes. He finished with a 72 and a 13-under 275. Wise carded a 71.

"I didn't have to do anything special and Aaron had to do something special to try and tack me down," Horschel, 35, said.

Horschel started the final round with a five-shot lead over Wise, a South African who lives in Jupiter, and never saw the advantage get below two. A couple of unspectacular yet crucial putts to save par on No. 13 (11 feet) and No. 14 (8 feet) were just the appetizers. The main roll came on No. 15 when Horschel essentially guaranteed his seventh PGA Tour title.

"Icing on the cake to make eagle, have a four-shot lead with three tough holes (to play)," Horschel said.

Even Nicklaus was impressed.

"I look at putting as you make putts when you have to make putts, not putts that you just, you're in the middle of the pack and you hole some nice putts," Jack said. "That's not what counts. What counts is you make them when you made them. That to me that's the mark of a champion."

But the Billy Horschel we saw Sunday, one that found his putting stroke midway through after missing three putts inside 10 feet in the first 12 holes — equaling his total through the first three rounds — is not the Billy Horschel the former Florida Gator described on Saturday, after his low round 65.

That's the guy he described as an "idiot" for his impatience and not doing "what I know works every time."

Just imagine the choice words Horschel would have had for himself had he blown that lead Sunday.

"I knew starting off with a five-shot lead, I know if I lose it everyone is going to say I choked," he said.

Horschel revealed recent conversations with caddie Mark "Fooch" Fulcher that centered around how the anxious, eager golfer sometimes can self-destruct on the course. Sunday's victory was his first in individual stroke in just more than five years.

"I'm sure I'm going to shock everyone when I say this," Horschel said. "I move very quick and I'm impatient, and so I'm ready to go without always being clear on everything. Sometimes I just want to get the golf shot over with.

"Am I an idiot for not doing what I know works every time? Yes," he said.

This week Horschel and Fooch tried to return to what they have been doing the majority of the year, which has seen Horschel finish in the top 25 nine times in 15 starts.

"Never got too flustered, never worried too much, just went out there tried to play a solid round of golf," Horschel said.

Horschel's last win came in the WGC-Match Play in 2021. He's played well enough but has not been able to close. And he calls his record in majors "abysmal." He has one top 10, finishing fourth at the U.S. Open in 2013.

On Sunday, he closed and says it was without his fastball.

"I'm not fazed when things aren't going great," he said. "I'm not fazed when I'm not hitting it well. I know I have other shots I can go to to get the job done.

"But it adds confidence when you're not playing well, when you feel like you're not swinging great and get the job done."

Next up: That chance to add another celebration photo at the U.S. Open June 16-19 in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Tom D'Angelo is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Billy Horschel wins Memorial with help from 53 footer on No. 16