The PGA Tour has reached a point where every shot carries weight if golfers are to make a place in the top 70 in the FedExCup standings to be eligible to play the first playoff event. Amid the mounting pressure, Billy Horschel decided to replace Brad Nelson with a veteran to carry his bag. This is his third caddie switch since his split with his long-time caddie Micah Fugitt.

Golfweek writer Adam Schupak reported that Billy Horschel has committed to working with Gareth Lord. The duo did a test run at the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship last month before this commitment.

Lord has previously worked with Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose. He was their caddie when they won the 2016 British Open and the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open, respectively. As someone who himself played golf at the collegiate level and has worked with many elites, Lord brings a lot of credibility with him.

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This move comes after regular caddie switches Horschel has had since splitting with Micah Fugitt. Horschel and Fugitt started working together in August 2011. Like with Lord, the American professional had hired Fugitt on a temporary basis before engaging for the long term.

They split in 2017 but came back together in 2023. But then, they split again in May of this year. Later, Horschel hired James Edmondson to carry his bag on a trial run at the Memorial Tournament. At the time, the American professional had hinted at the chances of him working again with Fugitt. But it seems things didn’t work out between the two, as the pro golfer then brought his brother-in-law, Brad Nelson, on the bag for the 3M Open and the Rocket Classic.

We cannot say that it was certainly Lord’s magic, but Billy Horschel did start the Wyndham Championship on a positive note. He carded an opening round of five-under 65. The round featured four birdies, a bogey, and an eagle on the par-five 15th. He started the 15th with a 315-yard drive that landed on the fairway and followed it with a 212-yard approach shot to land on the green. From there, he hit a 45-foot eagle putt.

This positive momentum comes at a crucial time. Throughout the 2026 season, Horschel managed to make the cut in only 13 of the 23 starts he had before the Wyndham Championship. His best finish among those came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he scored 27-under 261. This got him to 79th in the FedExCup rankings, but he has only plummeted since then.

Currently, he ranks 107th on the FedExCup, which means his chances of qualifying for the playoffs are slim. However, there’s something even more important he might be worried about. The PGA Tour has shifted the full-exemption benchmark to the top 100 in FedExCup points through the FedExCup Fall. Players finishing in the 101 to 125 positions will receive conditional status.

While Billy Horschel still has the FedExCup Fall events left to worry about, he would want to start solidifying his position at this event. Instead of leaving things hanging until the last moment, it is best for him to act sooner, especially considering his injury, which he said was worse than he had let everyone know.

Billy Horschel opens up about recovery from hip injury

Speaking after his opening round of five-under 65, Billy Horschel opened up about the hip injury that sidelined him from competitive golf for six months last year. He missed playing three majors, lost Ryder Cup hopes, and couldn’t play the FedExCup playoffs.

When announcing that he was undergoing surgery for hip issues, he told everyone that it was a precautionary measure. Then, when he returned to play competitive golf, he told everyone the pain was gone. But he has been more vocal about the difficulties and the pain this year. Speaking ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he said that his hip was tired and sore. He even said that the two micro-fractures he had would take one or two more years to heal completely.

Speaking on the same today, he said, “It was just more damage in there, just more damage. The labrum tear was bigger, the hip impingement had to be fixed, I had two micro fractures that take a year, two years to fully heal. There was a lot more to when they got in there than the scans showed. All that means is it just takes more time to heal.”

That’s exactly why Billy Horschel would not want to take things slow now if he wants to keep his full exempt status rather than end up with a conditional status. The latest caddie switch could help him achieve this.