Horschel Wins Another One for the Gators
Monday, March 29, 2021

    The long-standing rivalry between the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles doesn't just end on the football field or basketball court. It's always present on the golf course, too, and yesterday Billy Horschel evened the 2020-2021 score at two apiece with his victory in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship in Austin, Texas. 

    By defeating Scottie Scheffler, 2 and 1, in the finale of the $10.5 million event at the Austin Country Club, Horschel became the Gators second winner of the season, following Brian Gay's victory on Nov. 1 in the $4 million Bermuda Championship. Horschel's success was worth $1,820,000, while Gay collected $720,000.  

    The Seminoles have also won twice in the wrap-around season, Brooks Koepka taking the $7.3 million Waste Management Phoenix Open and its $1,314,000 prize on Feb. 7, and Daniel Berger earning $1,404,000 the following week in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Berger also played in the WGC-Dell and tied for 18th, earning $113,700. 

    After his opening two victories, Horschel defeated Kevin Streelman in the round of 16, 3 & 1; then Tommy Fleetwood in the round of 8 in a match that went 19 holes. Billy hadn't led on any of the first 18 holes until he won the playoff hole. He then won his semi-final over Victor Perez, 3 & 2, before dispatching of Scheffler Sunday afternoon.

    Despite their quarter-final losses, Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm and Brian Harman fared very well in the money  department, each winning $337,000. Even the bottom four - Louis Oosthuizen, Sebastian Munoz, Lanto Griffin and Corey Connors - took home checks for $35,750. 

DAHMEN WINS BY ONE - Joel Dahmen closed with a 2-under-par 70 to win the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship by one stroke over Sam Ryder, who shot 67 in the finale, and Rafael Campos, who shot 71. Dahmen finished at 12 under par. 

    Ted Potter missed the cut of plus 1 on Friday after posting two rounds of 74, 4 over par. Ted played the front nine with two birdies and one bogey for a 1-under 35 and at the time was 1 over for the first 27 holes, just needing to stay there to make the cut. But he bogeyed the par-3 11th after hitting into a greenside bunker to go to plus 2, and remained there with five straight pars through No. 16. Needing one birdie on the last two holes to reach the cut line, Ted bogeyed 17, then three-putted 18 for another bogey. 

    The Tour moves to San Antonio for the $7.7 million Valero Texas Open, and Ted will make the trip to play in the event that was canceled last year. Two Gators are entered - Gay and Camilo Villegas - and one Seminole, lefty Hank Lebioda. 

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