Billy Horschel eyes FedEx Cup repeat, major win in 2015

Billy Horschel closed last season with a runner-up finish, two straight victories and $10 million to stuff into the FedEx Cup trophy, but the world’s 13th-ranked golfer has no intention of resting on his laurels.

The 2-1-1 conclusion to his 2013-2014 campaign was certainly satisfying, but so-so play leading up to and following his robust playoff run had Horschel seeking more consistency as he entered this week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

“It’s great to be a streaky player and play well four or five weeks in a row and then you sort of go away and then you come back, but I want to be there every week,” Horschel said in a pre-tourney teleconference on Wednesday during which he termed his FedEX Cup triumph “life-changing.”

“I want to be in contention every week and win.”

Attaining such uniformity, Horschel believes, is the key to repeating as FedEx Cup champ and capturing his first major.

“I know Tiger’s the only one to win [multiple] FedExCups [2007, 2009], but no one else has won back-to-back, so I think that would be something very special ... [to] say you were the first one to do it,” he said. “I feel like I’m making the progressions in my game, I’m getting better every year, and ... if I can do the right things and keep sticking to our practice plan and what we’re doing on a daily basis, then I feel like a major could be in store for this year.”

One of the ways in which the 28-year-old Floridian, who, until his playoff run, was known more for his outlandish octopus trousers than his golf, hopes to achieve his aims is by gaining keener insight into the statistics critical to his play.

“You just have to understand your game, understand what you do well, and just keep improving on that, and weaknesses, improve little by little, and hopefully it all turns out in the end,” Horschel told PGATour.com’s Sean Martin.

While all tour players can obtain comprehensive metrics from ShotLink during tournaments -- like approaches to the hole from 250 yards down to 100 yards divided into 25-yard segments, and putting from three feet out to 25 feet and beyond -- the Arccos tracking tool helps Horschel more fully assess his practice rounds.

Horschel screws small, lightweight sensors into the end of each of his grips and Bluetooth technology links the gadgets to his iPhone. A GPS as well as an analytics system that’s available to everyday golfers as well as pros, the software provides real-time feedback -- from distance off the tee to number of putts to the flag -- on each shot Horschel makes.

“You just go out and play your normal round of golf and then, after each round of golf, it tells you how far you hit each club, whether ... you missed it more left or right or you’re short or long,” Horschel said. “It’s just another way for me to learn more about my game [and see] what I’m doing well and see what my weaknesses are ... so I can be more consistent on a daily basis.”