Billy Horschel

Horschel notably admitted during his title defense at The Memorial Tournament that his confidence was the lowest of his career following a rough stretch of golf, but the veteran found some form late in the season, posting a fourth place finish at the Wyndham Championship. Along with a few top-20s on the DP World Tour in the fall, there's some optimism for a bounce-back campaign in 2024. After all, Horschel went through a similar stretch in 2017 and rebounded the following year by finishing T-3 or better in every playoff event. Those would be lofty expectations at age 37, but it doesn't appear as if the wheels are going to fall off anytime soon.

Horschel sniffed a win with runner-ups at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Zurich Classic, but was able to get the job done with a very impressive performance at the Memorial Tournament for his seventh PGA Tour victory. That win, however, didn't really catapult him to much else as Horschel failed to score another top-20 in his last seven events. The 35-year-old ranked exactly 25th in both SG: Total and scoring average for the season, which meant he really earned that third straight Tour Championship appearance. Horschel is a very solid earnings maker, but his days of being a consistent contender in the biggest events appear limited. Amazingly, Horschel has just two career top-20's in 36 career majors.

Horschel posted some impressive numbers in 2020-21. A win early in the year, a runner-up and six total top-10s on his way to more than $4 million and a top-10 finish in the FedExCup Standings. And yet, it wasn't even his best season on the PGA Tour. That occurred in 2014 when he picked up two wins and nearly $5 million. He won the FedEx title that year and at the time, it appeared as though he'd take off, but he's yet to improve upon that season. Horschel hasn't flatlined, he's actually been on a bit of a roller coaster the last five years, but it appears as though his upside isn't much higher than what he posted in 2020-21. As such, he's not a great salary cap option this season.

Horschel has been on the PGA Tour for a decade now and in that time he's had some great seasons, some poor seasons and some good seasons. More often than not, he falls into the good seasons category though, which makes him a reliable option in most formats, but not a great option for salary cap formats. As such, he's not a good salary cap option this season as his cap number is right in the "good season" range for this season.

Horschel has been on the PGA Tour full-time since 2013 and in all of that time, he's never really wavered. He's had some great seasons and some good seasons, but he's never had a bad season. He's been one of the more consistent golfers on the PGA Tour since joining seven seasons ago. His number entering this season is very reasonable and while he's not a "must-have", there definitely appears to be plenty of value here.

Horschel made a mad dash at the end of the season and actually had a chance to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but he fell just short. Horschel is no stranger to making runs at the end of the season as he made a furious run to a FedEx title in 2014. At the time, it was Horschel's second consecutive season above $3.5 million in earnings and it looked like he was ascending to the top-tier of the PGA Tour. Horschel's game fell off the following two seasons, but he got back on track two seasons ago with his 4th career win on the PGA Tour. He picked up win No. 5 last season and he appears to be heading in the right directions. That said, the bar is set too high for salary cap purposes this season. In draft leagues he's a second- or third-round pick.

When Horschel won the FedExCup playoffs in 2014, it felt like he had been around for quite a while, but it was actually just his fourth full season on the PGA Tour. It was that fact that led to a massive increase in expectations. Horschel played well in the two seasons that followed, but nowhere near as well as we thought he would after such a strong 2014 campaign. That said, Horschel appeared to get back on track last season and his prospects for the future look good. Good enough to improve significantly on his numbers from last season though? Probably not.

It feels like Horschel has been on the PGA Tour for quite a while, but he last season was just his sixth on tour. In that time, he's had two poor seasons, two amazing season and two average seasons. The strange thing is, the types of seasons he's had have come in pairs. He started poorly, went on a tear for two years, then fell back to Earth the past two seasons. The upside is certainly there for Horschel and as such, he's a decent salary cap selection this season. In drafts he should go well above where he ended-up on last year's money list, somewhere in the fifth or sixth round. fifth or sixth round.

What a finish to the 2014 season for Horschel. Like Henrik Stenson the year prior, Horschel rode a hot-streak all the way to the finish and a $10 million bonus. The good news for salary cap players is that the $10 million bonus does not count towards his official money for the season, so his number is actually reasonable. Yes, it's on the high-side for a player of Horschel's caliber, but if he builds off his playoff win, he could improve upon that number in 2015. As such, he's not a bad salary cap pick for 2015, but there's certainly some risk involved. In draft leagues he should go early in the second-round.

Horschel was the story of the first-half of the 2013 season. He had shown some flashes the previous year, but nothing like what he showed us in 2013. Horschel went from a guy trying to make the top-125, to a guy gunning for majors and multiple wins. The problem with Horschel and the question you have to ask of any other golfer that improves so significantly over the course of one season is -- can he keep it up? Horschel looks the part and his game doesn't look like it will drop off significantly, but as for an uptick in his numbers? Probably not likely either. Horschel should go in the 15-25 range in drafts and he's not a good option for salary cap leagues.

Horschel began the 2010 as a PGA TOUR rookie, but four starts into his rookie season, he had to call it quits due to a wrist injury. As the 2011 season approached, Horschel had two options, the first would be to use his major medical extension to play on the PGA TOUR in 2011 or give Q-School a try and improve his positioning. He chose the later, and because of that he won't have quite as much pressure at the start of the season. That said, he is coming off a significant injury and his limited experience last season on the PGA TOUR probably won't help him much. Still, he was a three-time All American at Florida so he has upside.

Horschel is a University of Florida product who earned First Team All-America honors for the third time in his senior year and was named the 2009 SEC player of the year has earned his PGA Tour card at this year's Q School. This young man has some serious game and could make a splash as a tour rookie if he can start the year off with some solid tournaments.