Billy Horschel holds 54-hole lead at The Open Championship

Former Florida golfer Billy Horschel is seeking his first major win and is in prime position to secure just that after his first 54 holes at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Horschel finished his round on Saturday two under par, moving to -4 for the tournament. That is the outright lead through the first three rounds, with six other golfers a stroke behind at -3.

With his play so far this weekend, Billy Horschel has become the first former Florida golfer ever to hold the 54-hole lead at The Open Championship. Former Florida standout Mark Calcavecchia was T-4 after 54 holes when he won the Open in 1989.

Horschel has had an up-and-down career but has been having a solid 2024 season.

He won the Corales Puntacana Championship earlier this year, claiming the win by two strokes as he shot a tournament best -23 under on the weekend. That was Horschel’s first win in nearly two years.

Billy Horschel, who was the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, has not finished higher than fourth in a major. He did that in 2013, when he finished the U.S. Open T-4.

In total during his career, Horschel has won eight PGA Tour events. Outside of the 2014 season, when he won that FedEx Cup, Horschel has not won multiple tournaments in a single season. So if he were to win this week, he’d be on one of the hottest runs of his career.

That should make for quite an interesting Sunday.

Among the notable names chasing Horschel are Sam Burns (-3), Xander Schauffele (-3), Justin Rose (-3), Scottie Scheffler (-2), Shane Lowry (-1), Adam Scott (E) and Justin Thomas (E).

Billy Horschel played golf at Florida from 2006 to 2009. He was a four-time All-American, while earning SEC Player of the Year honors in 2007 and 2009. He turned pro in 2009, successfully gaining his 2010 PGA Tour card through qualifying school.