Billy Horschel reaps putter change reward with win at Corales Puntacana Championship

Billy Horschel waited nearly two years to earn his eighth PGA TOUR victory, which he did Sunday at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

While many things had changed for Horschel since his previous victory, at the 2022 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the putter he used in both wins remained the same.

That doesn’t mean the putter was in his bag for the entirety of that duration, however. Horschel switched putters in 2023, only to return to his trusty Ping Sigma2 Tyne 4 ahead of this year’s PLAYERS Championship in March.

"We switched back to a Ping putter that I used for three, four years at THE PLAYERS Championship," Horschel said. "It's been heating up. It was on the sidelines for a little while. It had to get warmed back up again."

Since making the swap at THE PLAYERS Championship, Horschel has had positive Strokes Gained: Putting in two of the three weeks he played (Valspar Championship, Texas Children's Houston Open), then went on to win by two at Corales Puntacana after shooting a final-round 63 (SG: Putting stats are not available at the tournament).

"I've been seeing signs of having unbelievable putting weeks -- not just rounds, weeks," Horschel continued. "And this is one of those weeks where I just had a great putting week. I felt like I was really comfortable on the greens, I read them well, I had the speed very down where I didn't have to think about how hard to hit them, I could just get in there and focus on my line and hit the putt."

Puntacana Resort & Club's Corales Golf Course provided ample opportunities for players to score and Horschel took advantage early and often, especially in the final round on Sunday. Horschel's 9-under 63 on Sunday set the tournament's final-round scoring record and his 23-under tournament total surpassed the tournament record.

Horschel said he returned to his mallet because he was missing too many putts from inside 10-15 feet with the blade-style putter he used in 2023 and at the start of this year.

“You get a little more forgiveness with the mallet putter,” Horschel said. “I just felt like it was time to probably make a switch back and hopefully be a little more consistent.”

Returning to an old putter also helped Horschel get into his desired set-up position. He likes to set up with the putter shaft more vertical and the heel of the putter coming off the ground.

Horschel ranked 21st in SG: Putting in 2022 en route to one of the best seasons of his career. The former FedExCup champ not only qualified for another TOUR Championship but also represented the U.S. for the first time as a pro, playing for the victorious U.S. Team at the Presidents Cup.

"I think just switching back to a putter you've had success with, you know, you've made putts with it," Horschel said recently. "You know how it feels. You know how it looks."

And so I think it's just the comfort quality of having that putter and knowing you've made putts with it and have been successful with it."