Billy Horschel withdraws from the Mexico Open with dizziness while sitting 94th in the FedEx Cup Fall

Billy Horschel walked off the VidantaWorld Mexico Open on Thursday after six holes, citing dizziness and feeling lightheaded, Golf Channel reported. He had made four bogeys at Vidanta Vallarta and was 4 over when he got in a cart and rode back to the clubhouse. PGA Tour communications confirmed he withdrew with an illness, according to Golfmagic.

It could hardly have come at a worse week. Horschel, 39, is an eight-time PGA Tour winner and a former FedEx Cup champion, and he started this week No. 94 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. Only the top 100 when the Fall ends keep full Tour cards for 2027. He has made 17 cuts in 27 starts this season with one top-10 finish.

Horschel recently told Golfweek he hoped a good finish in Mexico would let him take the rest of the fall off. A withdrawal on Thursday earns him nothing, and Golfweek says he will likely need to add at least one more start to protect his place inside the top 100.

That leaves him little room. Three Fall events remain after Mexico: the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos (Nov. 2-8), the Austin Championship at Omni Barton Creek (Nov. 9-15) and the RSM Classic at Sea Island (Nov. 16-22), where the standings become final.

Horschel has spent two years fighting his body. He withdrew from the 2025 Zurich Classic with a right hip problem, then had surgery that turned out to involve a significant labrum tear and two microfractures, Golfmagic noted. He missed the rest of that major season and returned at Wentworth in September 2025. His recent form had been heading the right way, with a tie for 13th at the Bank of Utah Championship and a tie for 21st at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan.

A player with his record should not be sweating a top-100 line in November, but the hip surgery cost him most of a season and the climb back has been slow. His health comes first. After that, the question is whether he feels well enough to tee it up in Los Cabos next week, because waiting until Austin or Sea Island leaves him one or two chances to hold his card.

What to watch

Keep an eye on the World Wide Technology Championship field list early next week to see if Horschel commits. Golf Channel carries the rest of the Mexico Open this weekend, and the FedEx Cup Fall projections on PGATour.com update live, so you can track how far the WD costs him while the field plays on.