Billy Horschel | The Open

On Saturday, he performed within the driving rain in a short-sleeved shirt. The hearth and want to win a primary main burning brightly sufficient to maintain him heat.

He and enjoying accomplice Justin Rose have been evenly-matched; comparable builds, gown, caps on backwards, and a penchant for people-pleasing. 

And the way did Horschel entertain. 

A 32-foot putt for birdie on the seventh pushed Horschel to a few from the lead, and he stored climbing as others dropped again. 

A primary bogey on the eleventh gap, which was the toughest of the spherical, didn’t halt him as he mastered the greens on transferring day. 

Within the sand, there was an analogous story as he pulled off nice escape after nice escape. 

A satisfying save on 13 was adopted by a decent angle within the bunker on the par-3 14th, the place he chipped himself out of hassle. On the sixteenth, he did the identical.

The crowds couldn’t consider how nicely he performed an nearly inconceivable shot. Horschel couldn’t consider he had not holed it. 

That’s the mark of a champion. One other is that whereas he so desperately desires to win on Sunday, he’s ensuring to remind himself that no matter occurs, the probabilities will come once more. 

“I’ve discovered so much concerning the recreation of golf enjoying 15 years professionally. I believe I’ve discovered the way to deal with my feelings,” he mentioned. 

“I’ve discovered the way to embrace a variety of issues. I am by no means afraid to fail. I believe I hate once I do not do nicely and I get criticism from exterior, and I am letting these criticisms have an effect on my imaginative and prescient of myself. 

“I believe, if it is my time tomorrow, it is my time, and I will be ecstatic. If it is not, then we’ll get on the horse once more, and we’ll work laborious to get again in that place.”