Horschel prevails at Nelson’s Four Seasons finale

Billy Horschel had missed four straight cuts when he arrived at TPC Four Seasons, a golf course he was never particularly fond of.

After winning the last AT&T Byron Nelson scheduled at the Irving resort, Horschel now wishes he could have the chance to come back.

While his 18-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday stopped just short, he won with a par when Jason Day pulled his 4foot par putt left and past the hole.

“When I hit it, I knew it was on a perfect line and I thought I got it to the hole . ... I just wanted to finish it off there,” Horschel said. “I didn’t expect him to miss it. I was expecting to go back to the tee and play the hole again.”

Instead, the playoff wrapped up the Nelson’s 35th and final tournament in Irving. The event shifts next year to the new links-style Trinity Forest Golf Club south of downtown Dallas.

In his only two previous Nelsons, in 2011 and 2012, Horschel missed the cut at 13 over through 36 holes both times. With a closing 1-under 69 on Sunday, including a 60-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole, Horschel matched Day (68) at 12-under 268 for a playoff.

“It’s sad that it’s leaving because I was never a fan of this course, but came here and now I am,” he said. “I won, and I don’t want to leave.”

Third-round leader James Hahn finished a stroke back with a 71. He just missed a miraculous eagle on 18 that would have gotten him in the playoff with the other two. Threesomes were used after early morning rain delayed the start Sunday.