Billy Horschel to team with son of his college coach for Zurich Classic

Horschel is only player to win both individual and team titles at Zurich Classic

NEW ORLEANS — Billy Horschel, the only player to claim both individual and team titles at the Zurich Classic, will seek an unprecedented third title, this time partnering with Tyson Alexander, the son of his college coach, announced Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the tournament.

“In addition to his two wins, Billy finished second in the 2022 Zurich Classic,” said Worthy. “He also tied for fourth here in 2021, so he has had consistent success at TPC Louisiana ,” Worthy added.

Indeed, Horschel has found quite consistent success in the Zurich Classic. In 12 appearances at the Zurich Classic, he has won twice, took solo second once, tied for fourth and also took two top-15 finishes. Last year he and his teammate Sam Burns finished tied for 11th.

Burns cannot play the Zurich Classic this year because his wife Caroline is due to deliver their first child the week of the tournament.

Horschel’s game is starting to show good results this year with a tie for ninth in the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tie for 12th in the Valspar Championship and a tie for seventh in the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

In his career he has won seven times on the PGA Tour and once on the European Tour. He scored his first career Tour victory in 2013 at the Zurich Classic, with a memorable 26-foot putt on the 72nd hole. That culminated a four-tournament streak when he finished tied for second, tied for third and tied for ninth in his first full season on the PGA Tour.

The next season, he followed up with one of the most torrid closing stretches in PGA Tour history in the 2014 FedExCup Playoffs. He finished second in the Deutsche Bank Championship, then went on to win the BMW Championship and capped the playoffs with a win at the Tour Championship by Coca Cola to take the overall FedExCup.

At 27, he became the youngest winner of the FedExCup. His final round of 68 in the Tour Championship was his 12thconsecutive round in the 60s, the longest streak of sub-70 rounds in PGA Tour history.

In 2018, Horschel teamed with Scott Piercy to win the Zurich Classic again., this time as a team. Horschel and Piercy defeated the team of Pat Perez and Jason Dufner (himself a former Zurich Classic winner) by one stroke.

As an amateur, Horschel was a three-time first-team All-American at the University of Florida. He was named to the 2007 and 2008 Arnold Palmer teams and the winning 2007 Walker Cup squad that included Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson. Horschel posted a 3-1 record in that year’s competition, helping the U.S. squad to a narrow one-point victory.

He also made the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2022, ranking 11th in qualifying points.

Horschel’s partner, Tyson Alexander, is a third-generation professional golfer. He is the son of Buddy Alexander, the legendary coach at University of Florida, where he mentored Billy Horschel and won two NCAA golf championships. Before taking the job at Florida, Alexander previously coached the men’s and women’s golf teams at Louisiana State University where he guided his teams to two SEC championships.

In his distinguished career as a player, he won the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship.

Tyson’s grandfather, Skip Alexander, won three times on the PGA Tour. Recovering from life threatening injuries in an airplane crash, he famously won a Ryder Cup match by the largest margin in Ryder Cup history to that point, 8 & 7. He made the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1949 and 1951.

Last season Tyson took solo second in the Cadence Bank Huston Open and tied for eighth with a career low round of 64 in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship to earn his PGA Tour card for 2024. He partnered with Carl Yuan of China in last year’s Zurich Classic but missed the cut.

This season his best finish was a tie for 14th at the Valero Texas Open. He also tied for 16th in the Cognizant Classic.

Tyson won two tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour and one on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica on his path to fulltime status on the PGA Tour.

He played for the U.S. on the Palmer Cup team in 2010 when he went 3-1 in his matches to contribute to the 13-11 victory over the group representing Great Britain and Ireland. The matches were played in Ireland at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, where Shane Lowry would win The Open Championship in 2019.

About Fore!Kids Foundation:

Since 1958, the Fore!Kids Foundation has raised money to fund children’s service organizations through golf events like the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and several charitable golf tournaments.

In 2023, the Fore!Kids Foundation generated a record $2.843 million in charitable giving for children’s charities in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metro areas. Charitable contributions have been rising in recent years:
· Over $2.843 Million to charities in 2023
· Over $20 Million to charities in last 10 years
· Over $48 Million to charities since inception

More information at http://www.forekidsfoundation.com.

About the Zurich Classic of New Orleans:

Zurich Insurance has sponsored the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for 20 years, one of the longest title sponsor relationships on the PGA Tour. The Zurich Classic is the only team tournament on the PGA TOUR season. Since launching the team format in 2017, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans has drawn some of the highest-ranking fields for any regular-season tournament on the PGA TOUR.

The Zurich Classic has over a $40 million economic impact to the regional economy. With 42 hours of total television coverage on Golf Channel and CBS, a total of 13 million viewers tuned in to watch the tournament.

Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is available across 148 countries and territories via local broadcast partners, and garners $33 million in positive national and international media exposure for both the city and state throughout the year beyond the days of professional competition.

The tournament will be played April 24-28, 2024, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Purse for 2024 totals a record $8.9 million, with each member of the winning team earning $1,286,050 and 400 FedExCup points.

All tickets to the 2024 Zurich Classic will be mobile entry only. Day-specific grounds tickets are only $40. In addition, the Best of the Zurich Class Pass offers a variety of dishes from some of New Orleans most famous restaurants at three locations across the TPC course starting at $175 per day, and the Walk-On’s Stadium Club will offer close-up viewing at the 17th hole in the only two-story, air-conditioned tent on the course. Additional ticket options are available by calling the Tournament Office at 504-342-3000 or online at www.zurichgolfclassic.com