The first man to win the BMW PGA Championship twice, Billy Horschel has had a tough time with the PGA expectations. “I’ve put so much pressure on myself my entire career, I’m still trying to figure it out. My 15th year on the PGA TOUR, I’m 37, I still don’t know how to figure out not putting pressure on myself.” he opened up at the 2024 Valero Texas Open. He then explained the tendency to “get a little too tight,” as he tries “to be too perfect” on PGA. A game’s format indeed impacts the mental state. 

But away from the PGA pressures, the golfer has laid a strong foundation with his performance in TGL. The golfer who won his last PGA Tour event in 2024 has started the 2025 schedule on a roll at the tech-infused league. But what struck the fan was his performance on the PGA Tour. With side-by-side matches at the indoor league and the PGA Tour, the golfer showcased two different sides of his performance. At the PGA Tour, out of his 10 appearances, he missed the cut at four events. However, he has one top 5 and one top 10 finish, (best finish of T4 at the Valspar Championship).

With a lukewarm PGA season, he has recently shared what drives him to do better at Tiger Woods‘ semi-digital league, TGL. Recently, the 38-year-old joined the Dan on Golf podcast hosted by Dan Rapaport. Before the discussion started, a cute video clip of Horschel getting a pep-talk from his daughter was shared. For the talk, Rapaport asked, “I’ve never seen that before in a PGA Tour event. I’ve never seen you walk over, and give your daughter a little pep talk, how, I mean, you seem to be enjoying this like, maybe the most?”

The golfer shared how the event manifested an idea. He explained that what drove him to the significant result was the lighthearted atmosphere of the event. Horschel said, “It’s relaxing in the sense that it’s not the most important thing in my life, you know, like the PGA Tour.” Despite the top names of the golf in the league. There have been many key moments that left the community in laughter. For example, the dirty bird dance of Horschel at the entry. The historic entry left everyone in laughter, even his fellow teammate, Justin Thomas. However, on the opposite end, the PGA Tour showcases the opposite of the golfers.

He continued, saying, “It’s something that’s additive that we can enjoy doing, playing with our friends on the same team and just enjoying, playing in front of fans that are heckling us and are cheering for us and is music playing like it’s cool, cool adventure.” The vibe has helped him for sure. Even in the podcast, his description stated “Unofficial TGL MVP.” The golfer has scored 8 singles points, ranking him at the top of the leaderboard. Similarly, for the singles holes won, i.e., 5, he tied first.

Now, with his performance at the PGA Tour, he is under speculation even though he has shared a confident reply for his Ryder Cup inclusion. His appearance for his Masters is still a doubt. Will he be able to clinch his first major title this year?

Billy Horschel Valspar Championship performance review

The American professional was close to his first major victory in 2024 but fell short by just a minor difference. He was placed runner-up at the Open Championship. This year, he’s been feeling the heat of the big leagues. “I have no God-honest control of my golf swing and don’t know where the golf ball is going right now… I’m trying to get into the house as fast as I can,” he said about the challenging conditions at The Players.

However, now, with his performance at TGL and recent close finish at the Valspar Championship, he has shown signs of confidence. Until now, Horschel has recorded 6 sub-par rounds in his 10 participations (mainly, under-par rounds). Even at the Valspar, his worst round was a par finish on Friday, which had three double bogeys. But he has managed to finish at under 8 with his 17 birdies and 7 bogeys. With the struggle in the initial rounds, he made a comeback in the final one with 5 birdies and just one bogey for a round of 67. In the end, his rounds scored were 69-71-69-67.

Throughout the bogey struggle, there were glimpses of a breakthrough he shared in a recent interview with the Golf Channel. Now, dropping perfectionism, he’s taking chances. During the final round, Horschel found himself stuck near a tree, forcing a left-handed shot. With a laugh, he warned his son to clear the way—he had no idea where the ball might go. But with a bit of magic, he nailed the shot and sank the putt with the back of his club! “What in the world did we just watch?! How good is that?!” exclaimed the commenter aside cheering fans.

So, with hints of a comeback and powerful performance, will the golfer achieve the long-awaited? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.