ATLANTA—Chris Kirk and Billy Horschel took a big step toward the biggest payoff in golf on Thursday.
Both players already have won FedEx Cup playoff events to earn the top two seeds going into the Tour Championship. Playing together in the last group at East Lake, they both made late birdies and were tied for the lead at 4-under 66.
If either of them were to win the Tour Championship, they would capture the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus.
Masters champion Bubba Watson isn’t out of the mix just yet. He made bogey from the bunker on the last hole for a 67 and was one shot behind, along with Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed and Jason Day.
Rory McIlroy made enough par saves to grind out a 69.
“Billy has obviously been playing some pretty incredible golf with winning last week and finishing second the week before,” Kirk said. “And I’ve been doing all right myself.”
Kirk is a 29-year-old who went to Georgia and plays golf without a pulse. Even when he chipped in from 80 feet on the 17th hole, he simply smiled and bowed his head before slapping hands with his caddie.
Horschel is a 27-year-old who went to Florida, brash enough to wear octopus prints on his pants in the final round at a US Open, to flip his cap around backward and to pump his fist for routine pars.
They grew up playing amateur golf against each other. They were teammates in the Walker Cup. And they are leading the race to the FedEx Cup.
“We’re probably two completely opposite people in the sense that he just looks like he’s moving very slow and nothing affects him,” Horschel said. “I look like I’m running around the golf course—literally last Sunday. But we seem to always play well when we’re paired together.”
Hunter Mahan might have shot himself out of it. Mahan is seeded fifth and opened with a 74. AP