Billy Horschel Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

I absolutely love Horschel in tournaments this week. His last two events have both seen him end up missing the cut in heartbreaking fashion, and that eats at DFS players. We’re all bitter at the close missed cuts, when in reality it’s a much worse sign when golfers are missing cuts by several strokes. Welcome to the world of psychology. In any case, Muirfield Village sets up better for Horschel’s game than some of the other venues we have seen since the restart. Horschel often plays better on tougher tracks, and I would doubt we see a four-under or five-under cut line this week. Horschel finished 9th at last year’s Memorial Tournament on this course, and I expect a bounce-back week. We also get the nice bonus that will come from him being cheaper to roster and also checking in with lower ownership. He ranks 42nd on Tour in ball striking, and there is no doubt that I will definitely be overweight in GPP builds.

I don't expect Horschel to be very popular this week, even though he might be the safest value play on the board. There aren't any true punts that I feel great about. While Harry Higgs, Vaughn Taylor, Ryan Moore, and Matthew NeSmith all rate out well for me, they all come with red flags. Meanwhile, Horschel is a cut-maker with upside. Yes, he missed the cut last week, but it was on the number. Even with that, he's made 14 of his last 17 cuts on tour with six top 10 finishes during that stretch. He can gain strokes in all facets of his game, so don't let one missed cut cloud your judgment.

Horschel is known as a Bermuda grass specialist, but that’s a narrative that has very little weight. In fact, his last 10 top 10 finishes have all come outside of Florida and his putting splits between Bermuda and Bentgrass are negligible. His last win actually came in Texas and he has good course history here, posting finishes of T19 (2019) and T34 (2017) in his last two appearances. He’s also a golfer that can gain strokes in all facets of his game, which is nice to have. When one part of his game isn’t firing, the others can make up for it. That’s not the case with most ball strikers or short-game specialists.

It's been a while since Horschel has made my list of official picks, but here we are. Even though he missed the cut at the Open Championship, that was probably a bonus. He doesn't have a great links track record to begin with and the missed cut allowed him to get back to the states a couple days earlier than most. He has gained strokes off the tee and on approach in six straight events stateside and has one of the best track records of any golfer in the field at TPC Southwind. He has four top 10 finishes here in his last five tries.

I am generally not a Horschel fan, so it really pains me to list him here. However, Horschel checks in as my favorite point per dollar option on the board. He always thrives in events where scoring is more of a grind, and he has a solid history here with four top 11 finishes over the last seven editions, including three of the last four. He hasn’t missed a cut this season and doesn’t carry the massive price tags of the likes of Fowler and Kuchar. He ranks inside the top quarter of this field in scrambling and bogey avoidance, and he carries a nice combination of safety and upside at this event.

Horschel is a Florida native who is always capable of thriving during this time of year, and he’s a notoriously streaky player. The good news is that he actually comes into this stretch with some good form, as he hasn’t missed a cut since last summer. He had logged back to back top ten finishes at this event prior to a missed cut last year, and he currently ranks inside the top five on the PGA Tour in ball striking right now. Almost every check box is positive with him at the moment. While I am by no means a Horschel homer, he is one of my favorite options on the entire board at his current salary level.

Horschel is one of those golfers that I’m rarely on the right side of. When I play him, he misses the cut. When I fade him, he tends to perform well. Something tells me that it’s more of a coincidence than the universe conspiring against me. He posted a solid T8 finish at Torrey Pines last week and he looked good in all facets of his game. While he doesn’t have any amazing finishes at this event, he’s made four straight cuts and is currently playing with a lot of confidence. We typically don’t see the good form Horschel until we get into the Florida stretch. He’s a safe play with upside, which is never bad in DFS when our ultimate goal is to get as many golfers through the cut as possible.