LEXINGTON, KY (July 11, 2018) – Five-time PGA TOUR Winner and 2014 FedExCup Champion Billy Horschel has committed to the July 19-22 Barbasol Championship, it was announced today by tournament Executive Director Brooks Downing. A FedExCup winner is the top honor on the PGA TOUR, having to excel both in the regular season and the four-event playoffs to become the season-long Champion.
“The addition of a FedExCup winner is a huge boost to the overall strength of our player field,” said Downing. “Billy is one of the top players on the PGA TOUR, has a tournament win from earlier this year, and is one of the most fan-friendly players on the circuit.”
Horschel, 31, will be joining 1997 PGA Championship winner Davis Love III and the LPGA’s Brittany Lincicome in the 132-player field at Champions at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, KY, just outside Lexington. The Thursday through Sunday 72-hole stroke play competition includes a cut to the low 70 players and ties after the 2nd round.
Horschel teamed with Scott Piercy (also in the Barbasol Championship field) to win this year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April, the TOUR’s only two-man team event. He won the New Orleans event in 2013 (contested at individual stroke play) for his first PGA TOUR victory, the 2014 BMW Championship and TOUR Championship en route to his FedExCup crown, and the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.
“We are getting into the final stretch of the regular season, so I am focused on making a strong push beginning in Lexington toward improving my ranking for this year’s FedExCup Playoffs,” said Horschel, a two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (2007, 2009) and SEC Conference Champion (2009) while at the University of Florida. Horschel is currently 45th on the current FedExCup standings.
Tyson Alexander, a Florida Gator teammate of Horschel, will also be in the field. Alexander, 29, is currently the top-ranked player on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica circuit, with a victory at the Costa Rica Classic and tying for 2nd in the BMW Jamaica Classic. The top five ranked players at season’s end automatically advance next year to the Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA TOUR. Tyson will be playing the Barbasol Championship on a sponsor exemption.
Tyson’s father, Buddy Alexander, was the former men’s head golf coach at the University of Florida (1988-2014) and saw his team capture the 1993 NCAA Championship hosted, ironically, at Champions at Keene Trace. Tyson’s grandfather, Skip Alexander, was a three-time PGA TOUR winner before severe burns suffered in a plane crash curtailed his career.
“There are so many great stories with every player in the field,” Downing added. “It will be a really interesting cross-section of talent from top to bottom, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be on the top of the leaderboard after the final round. It will be really fun to watch.”
Daily and week-long grounds passes can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. A Thursday grounds pass is $30 with Friday priced at $35 and the Saturday/Sunday rate at $40 per day. All four-day pass can be purchased for $100, with upgraded ticket options available as well.
