UPDATE: Willard Hurley Jr. was located safe this afternoon in Texas after a citizen recognized him from earlier media releases. The citizen contacted the local police department who responded to confirm his identity.

Hurley left his residence in Leesburg on Sunday, July 19, 2015 and was reported as missing by his family on Monday, July 27, 2015. Mr. Hurley stated to detectives that he is fine physically and is simply travelling.

Mr. Hurley did not wish to reveal the reasons behind his departure.



GAINESVILLE, Va. -- Billy Hurley III asked for the public’s assistance Tuesday in the search for his dad, Willard Hurley Jr., who has been missing for nine days.

Fighting back tears, Hurley, in the field at this week’s Quicken Loans National, said his father drove off in his truck on July 19 with some clothes and cash, and hasn’t been heard from since.

Hurley’s mother filed a missing person’s report Monday in Virginia. The couple lives in nearby Leesburg and has been married more than 30 years. Hurley said his father has no history of mental health issues.

“No one really knows why,” said Hurley, who found out on Monday that his father was missing. “It's complete speculation as to why he left.

“I'm just hoping that there's a story that maybe he goes to PGATOUR.COM to check my tee time or check my score and sees this and understands that dad, we love you and we want you to come home. We have no idea where he is.”

Willard Jeremiah Hurley Jr. – born on Feb. 2, 1954 -- was a police officer in the area for more than two decades, according to his son, and worked security when The Presidents Cup was held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. “Some of my first memories of the TOUR are hearing him tell silly stories about player conversations inside the ropes from walking with them during the Presidents Cup,” Hurley said.

The elder Hurley also worked at Reston Bible Church, which he has attended for more than 30 years.

He was last seen driving a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck, dark green, license plate YWH-5898, with a cab cover on the back.

“This was a hard decision for my family to make to even make this public,” Hurley said. “… Kind of thought hey, here we have an opportunity to at least maybe, you know, bartender who served him dinner sees this story on Golf Central or whatever, you know, and we can get a hit on his location or something or maybe he sees it, like I said, checking my score, checking my tee time, somehow and he realizes that it's just time to come home.”

Hurley did not take questions after his statement Tuesday and does not plan to make further comments. But he will play in this week’s event “in hopes that that somehow brings my dad home.”