Golf

FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel aims to continue improving in 2015

Bae Sang-moon to take legal action after South Korea denied golfer’s visa extenson

Billy Horschel is looking forward to the new season ahead of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Golf Club in Lahaina, Hawaii. Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Fri Jan 9 2015 - 01:00

He won $13.4million in the space of three weeks last year, but Billy Horschel is determined to get even better in 2015.

Horschel’s bumper payday came courtesy of winning the overall FedEx Cup title last season, finishing second in the Deutsche Bank Championship and following that with victories in the BMW Championship and season-ending Tour Championship.

That brilliant form came too late for the 28-year-old to force his way onto the United States Ryder Cup team, but did at least ensure he begins 2015 ranked 13th in the world and one of the 34-strong field competing in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Maui, an event restricted to PGA Tour winners from 2014.

“Last season was unbelievable,” Horschel told a pre-tournament press conference at the Plantation Course in Kapalua.

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Momentum

“Obviously before the play-offs my season had not been going the way I would like. But I was able to find something at Deutsche Bank in Boston and kept that momentum going at Denver and the Tour Championship.

“And two wins back-to-back, I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my golfing career at whatever level. I don’t think I’ve ever won back-to-back events. And obviously to win the FedEx Cup is life-changing.

“It was one, two steps in the right direction to hopefully reaching my peak, my ultimate goal to see how great I can be.

“I’m trying to see how great of a player I can be, reach my level and my potential as a player, and I’ve got to keep getting better. One of the things I want to do is I want to be a little more consistent this year.

Putting

“I think one reason I wasn’t very consistent last year is I putted really bad. I putted awful until those last three events and my short game can get better. And I think I made some strides this off-season in working and getting better technique-wise.”

South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon is also competing in Maui but could be forgiven for not being fully focused.

The 28-year-old has vowed to take legal action after the South Korean government refused to extend his visa, meaning he is required to return home and face two years of compulsory military service.

"I got the green card [to work in the US]," Bae said in quotes reported by Golfweek. "If I have a green card, I can extend five or six years more. I don't know why they didn't approve [an extension].

“I will take legal action. I couldn’t understand why they denied it.”

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