Billy Horschel explains the putter switch that helped end his PGA Tour drought

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Billy Horschel waited almost two years to win his seventh PGA TOUR at the Corales Puntacana Championship last weekend – and he did it after a change in his standard putter.

While much had changed for Horschel since his previous victory, at the 2022 Memorial presented by Workday, the putter he used in both victories remained unchanged.

However, that doesn't mean the putter was in his bag the whole time.

Horschel changed putters in 2023 but returned to his beloved Ping Sigma2 Tyne 4 for this year's PLAYERS Championship in March.

“We switched to a Ping putter that I used for three, four years at THE PLAYERS Championship,” said Horschel. “It was hot. It was on the sidelines for a while. It had to be reheated.”

Horschel got a good Strokes: Putting in two of the three weeks he played (Valspar Championship, Texas Children's Houston Open), and won by two at Corales Puntacana after shooting a final round of 63 with his old putter bag.

“I've been seeing signs of having incredible weeks — not just rounds, weeks,” Horschel continued. “And this is one of those weeks where I just had a good week to put things together. I felt really comfortable on the greens, I read them well, I had the speed on the ground where I didn't have to think about how hard it was to hit them, I would go in there and focus on my line and hit. putt.”

Horschel explained that he went back to his mallet because he was too short between 10-15 meters with the blade-style putter he used in 2023 and earlier this year.

“You get a little more forgiveness with a mallet putter,” Horschel said. “I just felt like it was time for me to change and hopefully we'll get along a bit.”

Going back to his old putter also helped Horschel get to his ideal position for the set. He likes to set up with the putter shaft straight and the heel of the putter raised off the ground.

Horschel finished 21st in SG: Entering 2022, putting together one of his strongest seasons to date. The former FedExCup champion not only qualified for another TOUR Championship but also made his professional debut in the United States, playing for Team USA that won the Presidents Cup.

It remains to be seen whether this change enables him to return to golf club discussions.

“I think if you go back to a putter that you've been successful with, you know, you've made putts with it,” Horschel said recently. “You know how it feels. You know what it looks like.

“And so I think it's just a comforting quality to have that putter and know that you can make a putt with it and be successful with it.”