Stricker stumbles late, still up by 4 at Firestone

DUBLIN, Ohio – Billy Horschel has never been accused of being slow but a more deliberate process has sent the high-octane former FedEx Cup champ to an impressive five-shot lead at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. RELATED: Leaderboard | Horschel builds five-shot lead at the Memorial Tournament Horschel fashioned an ultra-impressive 7-under 65 in Saturday’s third round at Muirfield Village to surge to 13-under for the tournament, five clear of PLAYERS champion and World No. 3 Cameron Smith (72) and one-time TOUR winner Aaron Wise (69) with just 18 holes to play. The Floridian has always had an upbeat and high paced personality and finds it unnatural to slow down. He walks faster between shots than most and talks a million miles an hour with a seemingly endless stream of consciousness. And when it comes his turn to hit, you best not blink or you might miss it. But the key to Horschel being just one round away from an iconic victory at Jack’s place has been fighting against the instinct of speed. Instead, he is forcing himself to see the full process of each shot, making sure he has a clear picture in his mind, and executing accordingly. “It’s just going through our process, making sure we have a number where we’re trying to land the ball, talking about the shot, the club selection, the wind. When we do that, it allows me to have a clearer picture and have a little bit more of a higher acceptance level over the golf shot,” Horschel explained after stretching his bogey-free run to 44 holes. “I move very quick, and I’m impatient, and so I’m ready to go without always being clear on everything. Sometimes I just want to get the golf shot over with. “Yes, I am an idiot for not doing what I know works every time. If I’m going to win the golf tournaments I want to win, and I feel like I can win, then I need to do a better job of it on a daily, weekly basis, especially when it comes to the bigger events.” After missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge Horschel called a meeting of sorts with his caddie Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher and the two made a pact to get back to the process that has helped the six-time TOUR winner to two runner-up finishes earlier this season. It’s about balancing the energy Horschel uses to his advantage, but can also be a detriment if he gets too wired. This time around he’s expecting to close the deal. Horschel is 2 for 4 in converting 54-hole leads on the PGA TOUR, winning the 2014 BMW Championship and TOUR Championship from in front in his FedExCup claiming run that year. But he also let a two-shot lead slide at the 2013 Valero Texas Open and was tied for the lead earlier this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational only to shoot 75 Sunday and miss out by one. Despite the large margin Horschel knows the last two TOUR events saw the winner came from seven shots adrift. As such he says he can’t start playing conservative now. “I just have to go to the tee understanding I’m leading the tournament… and try to play a really good round of golf. I’m not going to be protective; I’m not going to be overly aggressive. I’m going to play the way I have the last three days,” he said. “We’re going to hit the golf shots that are required, and I know if we do that it’s going to give me the best chance to be victorious. I’ve been doing this for 13 years now out here, so I think I should have a pretty clear understanding of what I need to do and the feelings and the emotions I’m going to have tomorrow.” The most likely contenders for the crown come in Smith and Wise. The Australian Smith had to once again rely on some incredible short game shots to stay in the mix after his swing proved out of sync most of the round. But having blitzed his way to a win at TPC Sawgrass thanks to a final round rush earlier this season, Smith knows what it takes. He won’t go down without a fight. “I really have to go out there tomorrow and have to hit it better. Today was pretty unacceptable to be honest… but you’ve just got to hang in there. Golf is a crazy game. You’ve got to try and get as much out of it as you can. I feel as though my good is really good, and my bad is getting better,” Smith said. “You never know what this course is going to throw at you. Anything can really happen around here. This place is unreal. it seems like you can have a birdie on every hole and you can make a double or triple quite quickly, as well.”

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United by what may still be possible this year for the world of professional golf, and with a goal to serve all who love and play the game, Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA have issued the following joint statement: “This is a difficult and challenging time for everyone coping with the effects of this pandemic. We remain very mindful of the obstacles ahead, and each organization will continue to follow the guidance of the leading public health authorities, conducting competitions only if it is safe and responsible to do so. “In recent weeks, the global golf community has come together to collectively put forward a calendar of events that will, we hope, serve to entertain and inspire golf fans around the world. We are grateful to our respective partners, sponsors and players, who have allowed us to make decisions – some of them, very tough decisions – in order to move the game and the industry forward. “We want to reiterate that Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA collectively value the health and well-being of everyone, within the game of golf and beyond, above all else. We encourage everyone to follow all responsible precautions and make effort to remain healthy and safe.� RELATED: Updated PGA TOUR schedule Updates from each organization follow, and more information can be found by clicking on the links included: USGA The U.S. Open, previously scheduled for June 15-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, has been officially rescheduled for September 14-20 and is confirmed to remain at Winged Foot. For more information and comments from USGA CEO Mike Davis, click here. The R&A The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, and the Championship will next be played at Royal St. George’s in 2021. The Open was due to be played in Kent, England, from July 12-19, but it has been necessary to cancel the Championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and The R&A’s advisers. For more information and comments from The R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers, click here. PGA of America The PGA of America is announcing today that the PGA Championship is now scheduled to take place August 3-9 and will remain at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California. The PGA Championship was originally slated for May 11-17 but was postponed on March 17. Furthermore, the PGA reconfirmed the Ryder Cup remains as originally scheduled, September 22-27, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. For more information and comments from PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, click here. Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National has identified November 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters Tournament, which was previously scheduled for April 6-12 and postponed on March 13. For more information, and comments from Chairman Fred Ridley, click here. PGA TOUR While collaborating with the PGA of America to find a viable date for the PGA Championship in August, the PGA TOUR worked with its host organizations and title sponsors to move the Regular Season finale – the Wyndham Championship – and all three FedExCup Playoffs events one week later, starting the week of August 10 and concluding with a Monday, September 7, Labor Day finish for the TOUR Championship. The TOUR will seek to reschedule tournaments into the weeks formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the Men’s Olympic golf competition in June and July. The TOUR will make further announcements about this potential, as well as its fall schedule, in the coming weeks. For more information and comments from PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, click here. European Tour Due to the many complexities involved, the European Tour is currently working through various scenarios in relation to the rescheduling of our tournaments for the 2020 season. The European Tour will make further announcements on these in due course. LPGA On April 3, the LPGA released a revised look at the LPGA Tour’s 2020 summer schedule, beginning on the week of June 15 with the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. In addition, the LPGA Tour announced that they have successfully rescheduled their first two majors of the year (the ANA Inspiration moves to the week of September 7 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California; and the U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA moves to the week of December 7 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas). For more information, click here. Summary A listing of the revised schedule of events announced today follows: • TO BE CONFIRMED: June 15-21 (formerly U.S. Open week) – potential PGA TOUR event • CANCELED: July 13-19, The Open Championship, Royal St. George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England • TO BE CONFIRMED: July 13-19 (formerly The Open Championship week) – potential PGA TOUR event • TO BE CONFIRMED: July 27-August 2 (formerly Men’s Olympic Competition week) – potential PGA TOUR event • CONFIRMED: August 3-9 – PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California • CONFIRMED: PGA TOUR’s season-ending event/FedExCup Playoffs August 10-16 – Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina August 17-23 – THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts August 24-30 – BMW Championship, Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois August 31-September 7 (Labor Day) – TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia • CONFIRMED: September 14-20 – U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York • RECONFIRMED: September 22-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin • CONFIRMED: November 9-15: the Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

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