Billy Horschel leads 2014 TOUR Championship, will go head-to-head with Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy may have been the hottest player in the world this summer, but now that the calendar’s flipped to September, that title belongs to Billy Horschel. Both will play together Saturday in the final pairing at the TOUR Championship, Horschel holding a two-shot lead after his second straight round of 66 on Friday afternoon at East Lake.

Horschel went on his best run as a PGA Tour pro last spring, posting a string of top 10s before finally getting his first career win at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. But his FedEx Cup stretch is the signature moment in his nascent career so far. Two weeks ago, he stood in the 18th fairway at the Deutsche Bank Championship with a perfect chance to make birdie, or even eagle, to at least force a playoff with Chris Kirk. What followed was Horschel’s worst swing of the season, a ghastly chunk that landed some 60 yard short of the green and barely in the front end of a hazard.

It was a brutal way to end a good week, but Horschel said he was undeterred and didn’t consider it a “choke” because he was still coming from behind. It didn’t take long for him to atone, however, as he bounced right back at the BMW Championship and won at Cherry Hills to roll into the season finale No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings.

The streak has continued in Atlanta, and he did much of his work on the back nine again on Friday afternoon. The inward 32 paced the 66 and 8-under number that’s clear of McIlroy. After going bogey free on Thursday, Horschel posted two bogeys on his front nine in the second round but still poured in three birdies to go out in 1-under. Even though he finished with the same number, Horschel said his second round was much more of a grind, as he hit some loose shots into the greens and was not as sharp with his short game. On the back nine, however, that was cleaned up and he never dropped a shot. He played the 17th perfectly to ensure he’d have a multi-shot margin at the midpoint.

Now Horschel has a date with McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world and undoubtedly on his way to receiving Player of the Year honors as soon as this season is over. McIlroy posted the low round of the day, a 5-under 65 to shoot nine spots up the leaderboard and into a share of second at 6-under. The round was not without its adventures though, as one wayward drive went into the trees and came to rest in a spectator’s pocket.

Rory would take his drop without penalty, and go on to make a par to keep his scorecard clean. He’s obviously got the talent advantage over Horschel, and has said he’s targeted a FedEx Cup title as one of his primary goals following the major championship season. He’s looked shaky at times during the playoffs, but he’s still inside the top 5 in the FedEx Cup standings so he holds that “control your own destiny” card, meaning a win at the TOUR Championship automatically delivers the FedEx Cup and $10 million.

Horschel, of course, also holds that same advantage as the No. 2 player in the standings. The two have a bit of history dating back to the Walker Cup, the amateur version of the Ryder Cup. In that event, McIlroy took exception to Horschel’s over-emotional outbursts and celebration after some particular shots. Of Horschel, Rory told Golf Digest back in 2008 that “His antics really pissed me off. He was so loud and so obnoxious.” There are supposedly no longer any hard feelings between the two and they’re quite friendly now. But with both knowing a win means $10 million and a postseason title, there might be a little edge in that Saturday final pairing.

Matching Rory in second at 6-under are Jason Day and Chris Kirk, the No. 1 seed this week. So beyond that final pairing, there’s a loaded leaderboard at the top. Even though tee times were pushed up three hours to avoid afternoon storms, the course was softened up by early Atlanta rain so scores were on the lower side. There’s a chance for more rain over the weekend so there are moves to be made over the final 36. Here’s where the entire 29-man field stands at East Lake: