The BMW PGA Championship, sanctioned by the DP World Tour, will take place at the Wentworth Club from September 17-20, where a field of 144 players will compete for the lion’s share: a whopping $9 million. However, one face will be missing from the 1,750-acre estate in Surrey, England: three-time DP World Tour winner Billy Horschel. He recently hopped on X to share the unfortunate update while revealing the reason.
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“To all the supporters and fans of the DP World Tour and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, unfortunately, due to my not-so-stellar play on the PGA Tour this year, I’m going to have to skip the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth,” he said in a video. “I’m devastated. I’m upset.”
The 39-year-old American finished 100th in the FedExCup standings, leaving him outside the field for the season-ending FedExCup Playoffs. With the FedExCup Fall set to begin at the Biltmore Championship on September 17-20, he will now have to rack up enough points to stay inside the top 100 and secure his PGA Tour card for the 2027 season. Clearly, it wasn’t a simple decision for the eight-time PGA Tour winner.
“It’s a decision that was really tough to make,” he added in the video. “I think everyone understands how much I love this event, how much I’ve appreciated the support I’ve received since 2019. I’m truly proud and honored to call myself a two-time champion of the event, and I’m going to miss everyone this year.
“… It’s something that I truly do love, and I think everyone sees the smile I have on my face when I play there every year. So I’m wishing everyone a great event this year, and I look forward to seeing everyone in the years to come. So thank you, guys, for your support, and have a great week at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.”
To put things in perspective, this will be the first time the University of Florida alumnus will miss the tournament since 2020. Even then, COVID-19 travel restrictions kept him from competing, which made it difficult for international players to compete at Wentworth. Otherwise, Horschel has returned every year to play in the event.
Not to mention, he has already lifted the BMW PGA Championship trophy twice: in 2021 and 2024. Regardless, this comes after the Grant, Florida, native endured a severely disappointing 2026 season. He had already suffered a right-hip injury in 2025 that required major surgery, which has partially contributed to his struggles.
He has posted just three top-20 finishes in 23 starts so far and has yet to win a tournament this year, which he hasn’t exactly been happy about. As a result, his next appearance will probably come at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove later this month. While he won’t be in the field at Wentworth Club, there are plenty of other exciting names fans will be looking forward to seeing. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, for example, will be competing.
Despite having a tough year while defending his Masters title, McIlroy will compete against the likes of Jon Rahm, J.J. Spaun, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Aaron Rai as he looks to secure his second victory of the year. Fans can also expect to see Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald.
Last year’s champion, Alex Norén, will have one formidable opponent fewer to contend with as he looks to defend his title this year. Still, as Horschel has shown before, he could turn this missed opportunity into a win in 2027.