'Match King' Hoschel "This Time, Conquering the Rolex Series"... Canter 2nd Place

'Rolex Series Round 3' BMW PGA Championship Final Day 7-Under Storm Shots '1-Stroke Victory', Apivannrat and Donaldson Join Tied 2nd Place

Billy Horschel is cheering as his victory is confirmed on the final day of the BMW PGA Championship. Surrey, England=Photo by Getty Images/MultiBits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The first American player to become a Rolex Series champion."

‘Match King’ Billy Horschel (USA) has now reached the top of the European Tour. In the early hours of the 13th (Korean time) at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England (par 72, 7,284 yards), he surged with a 7-under-par on the final day of the BMW PGA Championship (total prize money $8 million) to claim a one-stroke victory (19-under-par 269). This tournament is notably the third event of the 2021 season’s premium four-match ‘Rolex Series.’ The winner’s prize money is $1.33 million (1.56 billion KRW).

Horschel is the 2014 PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) champion from the United States. He joined the PGA Tour in 2011 and earned his first victory at the Zurich Classic in April 2013. In 2014, he delivered a remarkable performance with a tie for second at the Deutsche Bank Championship (PO second event), consecutive wins at the BMW Championship (PO third event), and the Tour Championship (PO final fourth event). On the final day of the Tour Championship, he clashed with world number one Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and secured a commanding three-stroke victory, drawing even more spotlight.

Billy Horschel is holding the trophy and posing for a commemorative photo immediately after winning the European Tour BMW PGA Championship. Surrey, England = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images

During that PO, Horschel earned $13.44 million (15.7 billion KRW), sitting on a ‘money throne.’ This included $600,000 for second place in the second event, $1.44 million each for wins in the third and fourth events, and a $10 million PO champion bonus. After reaching five wins with the AT&T Byron Nelson in May 2017 and the Zurich Classic in April 2018, his career declined. However, this year he entered a ‘second prime’ by winning the World Golf Championships (WGC) Dell Technologies Match Play in March.

Starting the day tied for third place, four strokes behind, he collected seven birdies. He had a strong start with consecutive birdies on holes 3 and 4, followed by a birdie on hole 6 (par 4), and another pair of consecutive birdies on holes 11 and 12. The highlights were birdies on holes 15 and 18 late in the round. The birdie on the 15th hole (par 4) brought him into a tie for the lead, and on the final 18th hole (par 4), his third shot landed close to the hole, setting up a ‘tap-in birdie.’ Horschel also exclaimed, "The birdie on the 15th hole was huge," and said, "I’m so happy."

Rory Canter (England) narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff, settling for a tie for second place (18-under-par 270). Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) and Jamie Donaldson (Wales) joined this group. Aphibarnrat surged with a 9-under-par but was halted by a bogey on the 17th hole (par 5). His second shot attempting ‘2-on’ landed twice in the left greenside penalty area, creating a crisis. Fortunately, after finding his first ball and taking a one-stroke penalty, he managed a ‘4-on 2-putt’ bogey. Viktor Hovland (Norway), ranked 13th in the world, finished tied for 49th place (5-under-par 283).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.