Billy Horschel beats Rory McIlroy in playoff, wins BMW PGA Championship

There may not have been a PGA Tour event this weekend, but that cleared the stage for the DP World Tour’s flagship event and the final round of the 2024 BMW PGA Championship delivered a finish that was worthy of the moniker.

By the end of 72 holes, it came down to just Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel and Thriston Lawrence.

The excitement heated up on No. 17, when Rory McIlroy drained a 47-foot eagle to tie the lead of Lawrence at 20 under. The four-time major winner, who brutally finished runner-up last week at the Irish Open, another in a string of disappointing finishes this year, then misplayed his second shot on the par-5 18th short of the water and couldn’t get up and down to win outright.

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Not to be outdone, Horschel (McIroy’s playing partner), showed his flare for the dramatic, nearly spinning his approach shot in for eagle, settling for a birdie to join the sudden death playoff alongside McIlroy and Lawrence.

Each player found themselves in difficult situations on the first playoff hole, but it was McIlroy and Horschel who got up-and-down to both birdie 18, with Lawrence carding a bogey after his third shot found the penalty area.

The playoff was narrowed from three to two — and the tension was high.

After each bombed their drive into the middle of the fairway, McIlroy flushed his approach right to the middle of the green. Horschel didn’t flinch, and matched him with an equally-impressive iron shot — leaving both players with eagle opportunities.

After McIlroy missed his eagle try, just barely catching the high edge, Horschel canned a 20-footer for the victory — his second in this event, as he won back in 2021 at Wentworth as well, becoming the first American to win the title twice.

“I’m thrilled and excited for the way I played — I just battled out there today,” Horschel said.

The winning eagle putt ended an impressive final round for Horschel, who finished birdie-birdie just to make the playoff, then went birdie-eagle to win the tournament.

“Look, I had to have a little luck,” Horschel said. “After the bogey on No. 15, I knew I was just a little bit behind the 8-ball.”

But Horschel stayed the course and trusted his game to play outstanding golf down the stretch.

“I was thinking about going for it from the bunker in regulation, but my caddie Mike said, ‘I just don’t know, man, there’s a little bit of sand,’ so I laid up and trusted [his advice],” he said. “There was a lot of luck on my side to get this victory today.”

The victory didn’t come easy for Horschel, who said he had to really grind on his swing throughout the week.

“I haven’t felt great with my swing all week, but yesterday felt pretty solid and this morning was a good warm up,” he said. “Today it didn’t feel right, but, look, I grind my butt off and always will — I did that today. I hit some really good shots out there, I made some really good putts, and that’s what you have to do when you’re not firing on all cylinders

Of course, the elephant in the room is the heartbreaking finish for McIlroy, whose season has been plagued by “almosts”. This 2nd place finish follows his runner-up at last week’s Amgen Irish Open. While neither stings as badly as the one from Pinehurst at the U.S. Open, it still gives extra fodder for the critics to work with.

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“I had my chance in regulation, and had a real awkward yardage for my second [shot],” McIlroy said. “I tried to turn over a 4-iron and was lucky it didn’t go into the water.

“But two weeks in a row, I’ve played well, just not quite well enough.”

Horschel even spoke about the disappointment that comes with beating a friend.

“Rory’s a really good friend of mine, and I think the world of him,” Horschel added. “He’s a generational talent and I know how close he’s been this year, so I can feel for him. But at the same time, I’m pretty excited just to be able to get it done today.”