It’s a lesson we teach every amateur, but one that even the best players in the world can forget: You are only one swing away from disaster. I’ve never seen a clearer, or more expensive, example of this than what happened to Rory McIlroy at the 2014 Tour Championship.
It’s not all courtesy cars and private jets out there. When you’re playing for the FedEx Cup, the pressure is immense. And that year, Rory McIlroy seemed immune to it. He was having the kind of season golfers only dream of.
Coming into the playoffs, Rory was riding an epic high. He had just won back-to-back majors, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. He was driving the ball better than anyone on the planet, and even his putting, so often a question mark, was rock solid. He was, without a doubt, the player to beat.
He carried that fire right into the postseason, starting strong and posting another top-five finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship. His confidence was sky-high. The Tour Championship, and the $10 million prize that came with it, felt like a formality.
But golf is never that simple.
While all eyes were on Rory, a gritty competitor named Billy Horschel, who had barely scraped his way into the playoffs, suddenly caught fire. He followed a tie for second at the Deutsche Bank with a massive win at the BMW Championship.
Suddenly, the whole picture shifted. Horschel catapulted to second place in the standings, pushing Rory to fourth. The season now came down to the final tournament at East Lake.
The $10 Million Splash
The final Sunday started with Rory just one shot off the lead. He was in prime position, exactly where a player of his caliber wants to be. He walked to the tee at the tough par-3 sixth hole oozing confidence.
And then it happened.
I remember watching the swing. It was left the entire way. There was no doubt. The ball sailed wide, catching the bank and splashing into the water. A collective groan rippled through the gallery. It was the kind of mistake you just don’t see from the best player in the world in a moment like that.
That one swing led to a double bogey, and in an instant, the momentum he had built all summer long vanished. It was a gut punch he simply couldn’t recover from.
While Rory battled, Horschel was a machine. He made no mistakes. When he drained a 30-footer for par on 16, staying ice-cold under the most intense pressure, the hope was all but lost for Rory. No one could stop Billy Horschel.
Rory ended up finishing third in the FedEx Cup standings, which is still a testament to his elite form. But it was Horschel’s historic hot streak, and Rory’s one disastrous swing, that denied him the ultimate prize.
It’s a brutal, fascinating story that proves something I always say: no matter how good you are, or how good you were last week, greatness is fleeting. Sometimes, it’s not enough. And that’s especially true when your opponent goes truly lights out and you make one costly mistake. It’s the magic, and the terror, of this game.
Want to mirror the pro’s 2025 style? We also recently discussed how to hit a sweeping draw like Rory.
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni. He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
