While rules about golf-appropriate attire have relaxed significantly over the years, hats have remained a sticking point. At many courses, especially private clubs, lids must be worn with the bill facing forward.
But if you’ve watched the Open Championship at Royal Troon over the last few days, you probably noticed a number of players rocking a backward hat, including 54-hole leader Billy Horschel.
So, what gives?
There’s a simple reason: turning a hat backward makes battling trying conditions slightly easier. When it’s windy, the front of the brim can cause the hat to flip up — which is distracting — and on a rainy day, saturated headwear will drip from the brim when a player leans down at address or to size up a putt. Turning a hat backward can mitigate the annoyance and help players to better focus on the task at hand.
The strategy makes sense, but it wasn’t long ago that backward hats were considered disrespectful — and Horschel was among the first to bear the brunt of the public’s censure.
In his post-round press conference on Friday, Horschel said he remembered being criticized on X (formerly Twitter) for turning his hat around during the 2016 Open Championship, which was also played at Royal Troon.
“I remember I turned my hat backwards about the 14th hole because it was raining so hard,” Horschel said. “Then I got blasted on social media for having my hat backwards at the Open Championship. If I remember correctly, I think I’ve seen Tiger do it plenty of times.”
Woods has indeed rocked the look. But the last time Horschel did so was at Royal Troon, when he was en route to a second-round 85 — and an early exit.
This year is a different story, with Horschel holding a one-shot lead with one round to play in his quest for a maiden major championship title. And he isn’t alone in his hat-twisting, with fellow contenders Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler also sporting a backward hats on Saturday — with nary a negative word to be heard on the subject.
Perhaps the tide is turning, both Horschel and the stigma around backward hats.