ST IVI F R
We talk to popular American Billy Horschel about his stellar 2021, his love for West Ham and his future ambitions...
illy Horschel has become something of an adopted Englishman. Ever since high school, the Floridian has held an interest in British history and culture, which is why his victory at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last year meant so much and why he can’t wait to head back there in September. When Horschel was in college, he came across the football hooligan film
Billy, we have to start with West Ham. How do you follow all the matches with the time difference?
Haha. It’s not too bad when I’m at home in Florida because it’s only five hours difference. But when I was in Hawaii, there were a couple of matches that were at 4am. I had to get up and watch them. I mean, when I support a team, I back them 100 per cent. Even when I’m on the golf course and playing in tournaments, I check to see how they’re doing.
Are you particularly good friends with any of the West Ham players?
I text Declan Rice a lot. There isn’t a day or two that goes by without me talking to him and Mark Noble. It’s a regular communication between us. They’re great guys. Mark’s my age - mid-30s - so we have a lot in common and it’s cool to talk to them.
Have you always been interested in other sports?
Yeah, I’m a big sports fan. Growing up, I played baseball a lot. I watched it when it was on TV all the time. Now I watch NFL and the Premier League. I just love seeing sports people caring about their game; how much it means to them. I love that. That’s how I fell in love with soccer, the passion of the fans and their relationship with the players.
Is it true that your dad was once offered a contract by an English rugby club?
Too right. My dad played baseball in college, but it didn’t work out. He came back home and got hooked up playing rugby. He played rugby for some clubs in Florida and, in the late ’70s, was about to join an English club, but he suffered a bad injury in a scrum which ruined his chances.
How did you end up playing golf?
My dad was always an athletic guy. He played tennis as well at an amateur level. I don’t know how he ended up playing golf. But I remember when I was about three years old, he would be hitting golf balls in the back garden and I would go out there to watch. And that’s how golf started in my life.
Fast forwarding a little, how much did the win at Wentworth last year mean to you?
I’ve tried to put it in words and I hope it comes across well. I’ve loved Wentworth since I went there in 2019. I love the course. It’s an unbelievable tournament. I’ve watched it every year since I was 12. To finally win outside of the US was great, as I’ve always wanted to be a global player. It’s a victory I think about all the time. There’s just something about playing in Britain which is special. The fans, the knowledge and understanding they have of the game, is different.
I know you love Wentworth and remember you once saying you were going to tell others on tour to play there. How are you getting on with that?
I actually don’t want to tell them now as it would bring stiffer competition! No, but people have asked me about it and I’ve told them
it’s a great event. I was talking to JT at the Farmers Insurance about Wentworth and he seemed interested in trying to get over there in the next few years. I think we’ll see more Americans play the event in years to come.
Do you think the partnership between the DP World and PGA Tours will assist that too?
I do. I think you’ll see that at the Scottish Open this year. More Americans will play that than ever before.
Going back to you, how would you rate your career so far?
There’s two ways I’m going to answer that question. Being the perfectionist I am, I think it’s been a solid career but I feel I should’ve done more. There should be more victories in there; a Major or two in there. Am I satisfied with my career? No I am not. I should have been more successful. The realist in me, though, says, ‘Hey, it’s been a good career so far.’ Six wins on the PGA Tour, a Fedexcup, a WGC and victory at the DP World Tour’s flagship event. However, the perfectionist side of me keeps me driving forward.
With the WGC and Wentworth wins last year, is the next step competing in Majors?
Correct. Last year was a big step for me. I crossed the finish line to win more big events, ones just below the Majors. The next step now is to get a first Major.
How about the team events? Missing out on the Ryder Cup last year must have been hard?
I’d love to be a part of the team events. The Presidents Cup is great, but qualifying for the Ryder Cup would be a dream.
What would you like to achieve before the end of your career?
It’s funny. My caddie, Fooch, has asked me this a couple of times, including when we were flying back from San Diego. I said to him, ‘Five more wins. All four Majors and a Players Championship.’ That would be ideal. I would be happy. Fooch said back to me, ‘If you had one more win and it was the Players Championship, would you be happy with that?’ And I said, ‘Honestly, I would.’ I would love double-digit wins, but in this day and age, it’s very difficult with Rory, JT, Dustin Johnson and Bryson all around.
Is there anything in the world of golf right now that you would change? You have spoken in the past about the lower players on tour being rewarded too highly…
Look, the Saudi league is getting started and what the PGA Tour is doing to combat that is a good job. But I do hear a handful of my peers on the PGA Tour every year saying they are just happy to keep their cards. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t hear it. If I was an NFL coach and the thirdstring guy said he’s happy with his wages and doesn’t care about making the team, he would be cut from the squad. So to build a better product in golf, we want guys who are always pushing and striving to be the best; not just thinking ‘I’m happy with my earnings every week’.
That’s why I feel a world golf league should be started. The DP World and PGA Tours will start it, I believe, in the next five or seven years. How it’s going to look? I don’t know. But it will help to boost the Korn Ferry and Challenge Tours. There’s ambitious guys there that hardly make any money and therefore can’t make improvements to their games. It’s not spread evenly enough.
Do you think a World Tour would help golf become a bigger game?
I do. The reason I believe that is because it’s tough to watch the top players in the world when you are not in the same time zone. Who would watch the re-air of the play? I wouldn’t. That’s why we should be playing all over the world more regularly, because people want to see the players live and in-person, rather than just on TV. We need to encourage the players to go all over the world.
You referenced the Super Golf League there. Is that something you’d be interested in?
I don’t close doors. When you hear about the money on offer, it’s tempting, I’m not going to lie. I’m not driven by money, but I need to provide my family with as good a life as I can. I’m just seeing how it all plays out.”
“I’ve loved Wentworth since I went there in 2019. It’s an unbelievable event. To finally win outside the US was great”