PGA Tour star goes full Happy Gilmore after making seven birdies in a row

Billy Horschel capped a singular 3rd circular astatine Wentworth connected Sunday by mimicking the putting benignant made celebrated by the iconic Adam Sandler drama Happy Gilmore connected the 18th green

Billy Horschel enjoyed a Saturday to retrieve astatine Wentworth, carding 7 consecutive birdies arsenic helium surged into contention astatine the BMW PGA Championship – and helium finished his circular by channeling his inner Happy Gilmore.

Horschel carded a sensational seven-under-par 65 successful Surrey, moving into a stock of 2nd spot alongside Rory McIlroy astatine 15-under, 3 shots adrift of person Matteo Manassero.

It could person been adjacent amended for Horschel, who saw a abbreviated eagle putt astatine the past articulator out, spurning the accidental to instrumentality 2nd spot outright. But the miss did thing to impact his mode, with the American grabbing his putter successful the benignant made celebrated by the beloved 1996 Adam Sandler movie and tapping successful his birdie putt.

The movie is based connected a wannabe crystal hockey subordinate who turns his manus to golf, holding his putter with the aforesaid grip arsenic a hockey stick. A long-awaited sequel is successful the works, and Horschel, 37, delighted fans with his cheeky decision to his round, having delivered plentifulness of amusement passim the day.

Horschel started his 3rd circular astatine eight-under-par, 5 shots backmost from overnight person Matthew Baldwin. The Florida autochthonal – an avid West Ham United protagonist and the 2021 champion astatine Wentworth – was level par for the time done 7 holes earlier helium reeled disconnected an unthinkable agelong to enactment him successful with a outcry of triumph connected Sunday.

He birdied each spread from 8 to 14, making a immense leap towards the apical of the leaderboard. A frustrating bogey ended his tally astatine the 15th, but helium repaired the harm with a birdie astatine the signature par-five 18th.

"The spread looked similar the size of the Atlantic Ocean," Horschel joked aft his round. "I made immoderate agelong putts, and had immoderate adjacent ones, arsenic well. It was beauteous special."

Horschel played alongside Manassero and McIlroy, with each 3 carding stellar scores. The Italian took the tourney pb with a magnificent 63, portion McIlroy was neat and tidy with a 66. Horschel says the trio fed of each others' momentum.

"Matteo got disconnected to a truly bully start. Made a tally determination successful the mediate of the round. After my bogey connected No. 7, I got started. We were each feeding disconnected each other. Rory could easy person changeable 2 oregon 3 better. He deed immoderate putts determination astatine the extremity that could easy person gone in.

"Really bully circular of play with 2 truly bully guys and looks similar we're going to beryllium grouped unneurotic again tomorrow."

Horschel is nary alien to come-from-behind victories astatine Wentworth, shooting a seven-under-par last circular to hitch retired a two-shot shortage and assertion triumph successful 2021. He believes helium tin repetition the instrumentality connected Sunday.

"I look backmost each the time, particularly erstwhile I commencement coming implicit here," Horschel said. "Tonight I'll reminisce a small bit. But I cognize it's going to beryllium a shootout tomorrow. I don't cognize however atrocious the upwind is going to beryllium but the leaderboard is tight. No 1 is moving distant with it. So you person to travel retired and play immoderate truly bully play to effort to hoist this trophy again."