Keep your eyes on streaky McIlroy after API win

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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland – Billy Horschel wasn’t surprised by the results of a recent ancestry test. Turns out nearly three-quarters of his lineage could be traced back to the British Isles. It makes sense for a man who employs an English caddie and statistician, roots for an English football club and last year picked up one of the biggest titles of his career in the same country. Horschel, the 2014 FedExCup champion, has increasingly set his sights overseas as he enters the second half of his career. The importance of overseas success was emphasized by his college coach at Florida, Buddy Alexander, and Horschel said that watching DP World Tour events in the early mornings only added to his interest. This week, he’s playing the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. He isn’t an exception in this field, though, as the tournament is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. This week, 14 of the top 15 players in the world are gathered in the East Lothian region of Scotland. Horschel is one of them, having reached a career-high of 11th in the world ranking with his recent win at one of the TOUR’s three elevated invitationals, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, as well as last year’s wins in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship. But he was one of just four Americans competing in Germany two weeks ago at the BMW International Open (the other three were members of the DP World Tour, and not the PGA TOUR). It wasn’t Horschel’s first trip to Europe this year, either. He came to England for a vacation in the weeks between the Masters and PGA Championship, attending two matches of his beloved West Ham United and playing golf with some of the friends he’s made in the country. Horschel said his family has lived in Florida for the past century, but he’s embraced the United Kingdom, as well. “I love that they can have a crack, I love the sarcasm and that British humor but they never take themselves too seriously,” he said Tuesday from The Renaissance Club, the venue for this week’s Genesis Scottish Open. “They care about what they are doing, they are very serious, but they can get away and relax.” Horschel was the first American since Arnold Palmer to win the BMW PGA Championship and finished the year ranked second in the DP World Tour Rankings behind Collin Morikawa, who became the first American to win the tour’s season-long race. The strategic alliance between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour was strengthened this year, and the 10 PGA TOUR cards that will now be awarded to the DP World Tour’s top performers was one of the most revolutionary items announced. If the past year is any indication, however, the alliance also will increase the number of Americans competing on the DP World Tour. Will Zalatoris currently leads the DP World Tour Rankings. Justin Thomas ranks sixth and Morikawa ranks 12th. They’ve accumulated points via the major championships and World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, but they also will need to play four DP World Tour events outside the majors and World Golf Championships to be eligible for the season finale, the DP World Tour Championship. The Genesis Scottish Open is one such event. “I always had a fascination with The European Tour,” Horschel said. “I didn’t take advantage of it earlier in my career and now I’m somewhat on the back end, planning on playing another seven, eight years, and as of right now I want to be able to take advantage of that opportunity and play (the DP World Tour) and play tournaments that I’ve watched growing up.” Horschel, 35, said he will likely stop playing at some time between the age of 40 and 45, similar to his friend, Justin Leonard, who won the 1997 Open Championship and 1998 PLAYERS, but played his last full TOUR season in 2015, when he turned 43. Like Leonard, Horschel wants to be home for his kids’ events and games. Until then, a handful of DP World Tour events each year are likely to be part of his schedule. This year, he also plans to play the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, defend his title at the BMW PGA Championship and possibly play the Italian Open at next year’s Ryder Cup venue in Rome. He may have to remove the Italian Open from his schedule, however, if he makes the U.S. Team for the following week’s Presidents Cup. He is 10th in the U.S. standings. The top six after the BMW Championship will earn an automatic spot on the team, and Captain Davis Love III will round out the team with six Captain’s Picks. After playing last year’s Dunhill with his father, who quickly endeared himself in the pubs of St. Andrews, Horschel is scheduled to play this year with Mark Noble, who’s nicknamed Mr. West Ham because of his legendary tenure with the club. Horschel has rooted for the team since watching the movie “Green Street,” which features the club. West Ham’s logo is on his bag, as well. By embracing his past, Horschel has opened a new chapter in his career.

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The PGA TOUR visits scenic Sea Island Resort for The RSM Classic, and a star-studded field has made the trip south from Augusta. Players will be treated to ocean views and two classic Golden Age courses this week. Here's a look at the Featured Groups for the second-to-last PGA TOUR event of 2020. Related: Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). FEATURED GROUPS Jason Kokrak, Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson • Kokrak recently picked up his first PGA TOUR victory at THE CJ CUP @ SHERWOOD. He also had a top-20 in this year's U.S. Open and ranks fifth in the FedExCup. • Cink, a Georgia Tech alum, recently won the Safeway Open and ranks third in the FedExCup. The 47-year-old also has a T4 in the Bermuda Championship and T12 in the Sanderson Farms Championship this season. • Simpson, a two-time winner in 2020, has finished third and second in the last two RSM Classics. Simpson has finished in the top 20 in all four of his starts this season, including top-10s in both majors. He is 32nd in the FedExCup. Hudson Swafford, Jason Day, Harris English • Swafford, a Sea Island resident, earned his second PGA TOUR title at the recent Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He is 12th in the FedExCup. • Day is 88th in the FedExCup as he tries to end a two-year winless drought. He recently finished T7 at the Vivint Houston Open. • English was teammates at the University of Georgia with Swafford and also lives in Sea Island. Swafford improved from 149th in the 2019 FedExCup to 12th in the 2020 standings. He finished fourth in this year's U.S. Open, as well. Tyler Duncan, Kevin Kisner, Charles Howell III • Duncan, the defending champion, leads this group of former RSM champions. Duncan defeated Simpson with a birdie in a sudden-death playoff last year. • Kisner, a University of Georgia alum, won The RSM in 2015. He's seeking his first win since the 2019 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. • Howell won the 2018 RSM to end an 11-year winless drought. Sungjae Im, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar • Im, the 2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, is coming off a runner-up at the Masters. Im is the current leader in the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition. • Rose, the 2018 FedExCup champion, is seeking his first victory of the year. He has won at least one worldwide event every year since 2010. He has won 16 titles in that span. • Kuchar is a longtime Sea Island resident and Georgia Tech alum. He has four top-25 finishes in The RSM Classic.

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