Billy Horschel has struggled the last few years after winning five times on the PGA Tour, but seems to be back on his game.
The 33-year-old Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, posted a 6-under-par 64 and is tied for the lead with first-round co-leader Tom Hoge, Si Woo Kim of South Korea and Talor Gooch midway through the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
This is the final event of the regular season and players are scrambling to improve their position or simply get into the top 125 in the FedEx Cup point standings heading to the playoff opener, The Northern Trust at TPC Boston next week.
“I’ve been working hard and could feel it coming back the last few weeks, but it’s nice to see it in the results,” said Horschel (pictured), who has five top-10 finishes this season and is 50th in the point standings. “I feel like I play my best when the pressure is on, when my back is against the wall or when I’m near the lead.
“I just put the ball in the fairway today, which is key around here. I gave myself a lot of score-able clubs so I could be aggressive into the pins. I didn’t necessarily make a lot of putts, but I gave myself a lot of easy birdies.
“I made my only bogey and No. 11 and probably shouldn’t have made that one.”
Horschel, whose biggest victory came in the 2014 Tour Championship, made his only bogey on his second hole after starting at No. 10, but collected seven birdies the rest of the way and earned his share of the lead at 10-under 130 with a five-foot birdie putt at No. 9.
Hoge, who was tied for the lead after an opening 62, started slowly with two bogeys on the front nine, but turned things around with four birdies on the last six holes of a 68.
“I was in the rough a lot on the front nine,” said Hoge, whose only pro victory came in the 2011 Canadian Tour Players Cup. “But I was able to make a few birdies on the last few holes and get a few under-par for the day.
“I have to keep making birdies the next few days.”
Kim birdied five of the last six holes for a second straight 65, while Gooch birdied three straight holes late on the back nine after starting at No. 10, and then birdied Nos. 7 and 8 in another 65.
Reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry highlighted a 63 that equaled the low score of the day with a seven-foot eagle putt at No. 5 and is one stroke back in a tie for fourth with first-round co-leader Harold Varner III (69), Harris English (67), Doc Redman (64) and Andrew Landry (65).
Sixth-ranked Webb Simpson, the 2011 Wyndham champion, shot 66 and is two shots behind in a tie for 10th with Jason Kokrak (63), C.T. Pan (64) of Taiwan, first-round co-leader Roger Sloan (70) of Canada, Mark Hubbard (65), Rob Oppenheim (66) and Tyler Duncan (64).
Ninth-ranked Patrick Reed, the 2013 Wyndham champion, is tied for 17th after a 68, while defending champion J.T. Poston missed the cut by three strokes despite a 66, and seventh-ranked Brooks Koepka missed the weekend by five following a 70.
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