Billy Horschel Puts PGA Tour Card Ahead of Beloved BMW PGA Championship Return

Billy Horschel, a two-time winner of the BMW PGA Championship and one of the European tour’s most prominent American ambassadors, will miss this year’s edition at Wentworth — a consequence of a season gone wrong on the PGA Tour.

Horschel has played the European tour’s flagship event every year since 2019, sitting out only the pandemic-affected 2020 edition. But with his PGA Tour status hanging in the balance, the 38-year-old is instead in Asheville, North Carolina, for the inaugural Biltmore Championship, the opening event of the eight-tournament FedEx Cup Fall.

The stakes are stark. Horschel missed five months of 2025 recovering from hip surgery and has not posted a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this year. He enters the fall at No. 100 in the FedEx Cup standings; anything outside the top 100 would cost him a full card for the first time in more than a decade. His 2024 victory in the Dominican Republic, which carried an exemption through this season, expires at year’s end.

In a social media post directed at the BMW PGA Championship, Horschel called the decision a painful one. “I’m devastated. I’m upset,” he wrote, adding that his results left him no alternative.

The fall stretch carries broader implications. Finishing among the top 60 — the top 50 are already locked in following the BMW Championship — secures spots in the $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera in 2027. Lucas Glover, who joins the PGA Tour policy board next year, sits at No. 101 with his exemption from consecutive 2023 wins running out, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 97) is in Asheville before heading to the Presidents Cup. Jordan Spieth, at No. 52, is slated to play in Japan next month.

Meanwhile, the Race to Dubai heads into its final eight events with Patrick Reed holding an 840-point lead over Rory McIlroy after his tie for second at the Irish Open. Reed is virtually assured one of the 10 PGA Tour cards available to leading players not already exempt; only McIlroy, British Open champion Ryan Fox, and PGA champion Aaron Rai among the current top 13 already hold Tour membership. Eugenio Chacarra, once of LIV Golf, sits third and is also close to a lock.

Horschel, a longtime Under Armour athlete, is competing during a turbulent stretch for his sponsor as well. Shares of Under Armour (UAA) closed at $4.97, down 2.39% from the prior close of $5.09, valuing the apparel maker at roughly $2.25 billion.

What to watch

• Horschel’s FedEx Cup standing across the eight fall events, beginning with this week’s Biltmore Championship.
• The Race to Dubai’s final stretch and confirmation of the 10 PGA Tour card recipients.
• Whether players near the top-60 cutoff — including Spieth at No. 52 — secure 2027 signature event spots.
• Under Armour’s next quarterly report for updates on its golf sponsorships and turnaround plan.

Source: original release