While the Valspar Championship always had a tough act to follow coming immediately after the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship on the PGA Tour calendar, the event at Innisbrook did a fantastic job of delivering its own drama.
Although the Valspar Championship did not have quite the star-studded field recently seen at TPC Sawgrass or Bay Hill, the tournament proved to be a fascinating watch with a raft of players right in contention over the week in Florida.
One of those who made an early charge on Sunday was Billy Horschel, with the American beginning the final round three shots back of the lead.
Horschel had been in a little bother on the fifth hole, with a tree 120 yards short of the green seemingly preventing him from swinging the club. However, he was not to be denied.
Fans left stunned by Billy Horschel at the Valspar Championship
Horschel decided to turn his club around and swing left-handed. It quickly became apparent that the contact was nearly perfect, while it was remarkable just how comfortable the 37-year-old looked swinging the club.
And the ball landed on the green, leaving Horschel with just over 30 feet for birdie. Fittingly, he was able to roll the putt in.
Unsurprisingly, many viewers were blown away, with one insisting that it is already, ‘shot of the year‘. Another went even further, saying: ‘This might be the best golf shot I have ever seen… how???‘
And one fan seemed to be in agreement, posting: ‘This might be the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen.’
Elsewhere, another wrote: ‘That’s insane. So talented.’ And one fan labelled it the ‘most ridiculous birdie’ they had ever seen.
And finally, one viewer suggested: ‘If Tiger had done this, we’d be watching it on loop for the next decade. Unreal stuff from Billy Horschel.’
Horschel embracing becoming one of the PGA Tour’s biggest entertainers
Horschel has become one of the PGA Tour’s great entertainers. While it is hard to imagine that he would have taken the shot on had he not felt that it was definitely the right option for him, it is the showman in him which potentially would have given him the idea in the first place.
Ahead of the debut season of TGL, Horschel spoke of how important it was that the players stepped up to make the format more exciting for fans. And the 2014 FedEx Cup champion has certainly stepped up and embraced TGL.
And it now appears that Horschel has provided one of the moments of the season at the Valspar Championship which is going to make all kinds of highlight reels for years to come.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
