The post A butt slap, an overhead club toss and fist-bumps: Billy Horschel’s debut was some ride appeared first on Golf.

The post A butt slap, an overhead club toss and fist-bumps: Billy Horschel’s debut was some ride appeared first on Golf.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Davis Love III tried to warn us. One of the players he had sat during Presidents Cup day one wasn’t exactly sitting.

“Billy Horschel, I told him over and over again, don’t wear yourself out today,” Love said late Thursday night to a handful of reporters at Quail Hollow. “He kept zipping by me in a cart, back and forth.”

The Horschel story is a notable theme this week. Match play is his thing. But not once, over 35 years on earth, and 13 years as a pro, has he been called on for a Presidents or Ryder Cup team. He can also run hot, and even he admits this. And you’ve seen what this environment can do to a person. Shoot, if stoic Patrick Cantlay can call for cheers at one of these things, what the heck is Billy Horschel going to do?

Something like Friday. 

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Over 18 holes and five hours, there was a butt slap (the good kind). And an overhead club throw (the bad kind). And fist-bumps for any kid who asked for one. There were five (!) near hole-outs from bunkers. And questionable chips that you’ll never remember because of what came next. We saw some things. If you want the conclusion, Horschel and partner Max Homa defeated Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith 1-up in best ball, and the United States leads the Internationals 8-2. But you’re gonna miss some of this week’s best parts if you click away now.

After all, this was how Horschel previewed himself. 

“What everyone’s been building — I’ll say this in a nice way. It’s not a bad way. I’m not trying to make me look good,” Horschel said Tuesday. “But everyone has been building me up because of how much energy I have and some of the celebrations I have on the course at times, but a lot of that is organic. A lot of that’s natural. It comes to me, and then it just is a natural reaction to things.

“So when Davis says, we’ve got to rein Billy in with his energy or we want Billy on the 1st tee pumping everyone up, I’m like you’re killing me here. You’re like pumping me up — not to fail.”

That Horschel did not. Let’s walk the course with him.

The walkdown 

They have one this week, and it’s set up over a 200-or-so yard stretch from a practice green to the 1st tee, with fans alongside ropes at the start, and a walk underneath a 2,500-seat buildout in the middle. Think a college football-stadium entrance. It pumps you up. And Horschel is getting going. His right arm is around Homa’s shoulder, and he’s in his left ear. Homa is a team-event rook, too, though he played on Thursday.

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A crack  

Horschel pars 1, after a drive into a left fairway bunker, a second shot into a greenside bunker, and a third shot to 15 inches. He bends his knees forward after the near-make. (This sand story will develop; just wait.) 

There’s some early spice, too.    

When Conners misses a 4-footer for birdie to win the hole, Horschel lifts his right hand to the left side of his face, his palm facing away, shouts something back to the green and walks away. 

“It was really fun watching Billy,” Homa said afterward. “Obviously, I had my first yesterday so I knew what it feels like, and it’s an exciting thing. It’s really cool.

“So to be able to walk those fairways with Billy, you know, I know he’s a high motor guy, as they say. But when he hit his bunker shot on 1, I mean, Billy’s a gamer. He’s a guy you want to play with. He’s a competitor, and he’s clutch as can be. So I knew he was going to be in his environment.”

The fan comments 

Horschel crowd comment break. On 1, you hear: Let’s go, Gators. That makes sense: Horschel is a Florida Gator alum. You also pick up: Let’s go, Bills. But there aren’t multiple Williams playing. And Buffalo, home of the NFL’s Bills, plural, is a long drive north. Let’s move on. 

On the walk to the 3rd tee, after the teams halved the 2nd, Horschel fist-bumps dozens of kids. 

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Concession confusion  

Assistant captain Fred Couples is out watching the group now. Horschel is again in a greenside bunker, hits to 2 feet, 1 inch from there, and he and his caddie, Mark Fulcher, believe they’re good; Fulcher is a good 75 feet away. But Horschel is forced to mark by the International gang, there’s a pause, and he sidearms his ball across the green and over to his caddie . 

When Pendrith and Conners par, Horschel is told he can pick up. Crisis averted. 

Club toss No. 1 

Before we go further, a tip of the cap to the tee box volunteer on No. 4. Pendrith is done with his chewing gum, he hands it to his caddie, who then hands it to the worker, who tosses it into the trash. Gross. 

In golf news, Horschel is again in a greenside bunker, he again nearly holes-out; he’s three for four in the category now. Homa, meanwhile, narrowly misses a 31-footer, and Horschel’s putter goes skyward. That’s club toss No. 1. 

He can’t catch it, though, and he repairs the mark it left on the green. Horschel then cleans up after the Internationals miss par putts, and USA leads 1-up. 

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A fourth near hole-out from the bunker — in five holes 

From his fourth greenside bunker in five holes, Horschel nearly holes-out for the fourth time; he’s four for five now. Before Homa’s 24-footer for birdie, he leans in to tell him, “Don’t worry, I’m going to make it” — an attempt to free Homa up, though he misses. 

Horschel crowd comment break. There’s confusion whether the hole is actually finished, so before Horschel putts for par, a man in the bleachers to the right of him is very audibly ordering drinks for what seems like a large group. (Tito’s is the pick, if you’re wondering.) Horschel has to have heard him.

Horschel makes the putt. 

“I love the hair! It hasn’t moved!”

Notably, Horschel isn’t wearing a hat this week. And he’s told another outlet that he’s locked his hair into place with a cement mix of hair paste and spray. And on 6, folks are taking note. 

Horschel crowd comment break. “I love the hair! It hasn’t moved,” a fan shouts. 

In golf news, Team USA goes up 2-up after the Internationals bogey. 

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A playful moment 

On 7 tee, Fulcher shows Horschel he’s brought him two bottles of water. Horschel pretends to kick one over. 

Up ahead, he misses a 5-footer for birdie, and the Internationals pull back to 1-down. 

Love and International captain Trevor Immelman are following the group. An investor in the Internationals yells: “This is where we pick it up. I have a big bet on you.”

Fist-pump No. 1 (though subdued ?!)  

As they wait for the green to clear on the driveable, 350-yard, par-4 8th, it’s late lunch time. Fulcher goes over to Love to get a snack bar; Homa eats a sandwich on the tee. 

Up ahead, what we were waiting for — a celebration — disappoints. For now. Horschel drops a 4-footer to win the hole, and he offers one (1) fist-pump, though it’s more of a fist nod. 

Crowd instruction  

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On 9, after a tee shot left and into the trees, Horschel punches through, and he’s on in two. But there’s traffic work to be done. To create his opening, the gallery rope is moved, a TV truck is moved and everyone’s scurrying, though shots are still needed to be fired. Horschel jumps in. 

“Hold up, guys. Hold up, Thank you.”

Indeed. Up ahead, he misses a 47-footer for birdie, does a 180-degree spin toward the trees, slaps his putter and shouts. 

Club toss No. 2 

The Internationals win the 11th hole to move to 1-down. On 13, we get the following:

— A fifth near hole-out from a greenside bunker (there will be no more). 

— A second club toss (there will be one more). 

— An International hole victory. The Internationals pull even. 

The butt slap and fist-pump No. 2

The near-misses, and the International rally, and a few squirrely drives and iron shots have Horschel bouncing some. He’s stayed back on greens to re-do putts. On the greens, as the Internationals have putted, he’s searching for ‘feels’ with his swing; he deliberately brings his arms back, trying to find it. On the par-3 14th tee box, before hitting, he’s hunched over and wobbling his legs. Maybe he’s getting loose. Maybe he’s shaking out the bad ju-ju. Maybe it’s something else. 

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Horschel hits his tee shot right of the green, and he holds onto his iron with one hand in frustration on the follow-through. 

Love comes over. 

He slaps Horschel on the backside. 

It works? 

After a pitch to 17 feet, he rolls in the putt, the hole is halved, and we have a better fist-pump. And a glare, to one in particular.

Fist-pump No. 3 

On 15, Horschel haves the hole on a 4-footer, though his ball sneaks in, and he’s barking at Fulcher about “degrees” on the way to the 16 tee box. Still, in mid-diatribe, a young fan reaches out his fist, and Horschel bumps it. 

On 16, Horschel rolls in a 13-footer for birdie, and we get our best fist-pump — it’s forceful — though two more are to come. 

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Horschel comment break. Throughout the day, Horschel’s wife, Brittany has been following the action. On the 15 tee, she’s standing next to the water cooler, a fan says hi, and she turns around and smiles. 

Tomahawk club toss and celebration No. 1 

In the crowd now are a few members of the International team; by the 18th hole, every team member and every team captain will be walking the fairways. Also following this match is Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield; he’s walking with Homa’s wife, Lacey. 

“Are you going to take care of the Saints this week?” a fan asks Mayfield. 

He got a three-word answer. 

“That’s the plan.”

Deep stuff. 

Back on the course, Horschel is in the left fairway bunker, and his second shot fails to get up the upslope fronting the green and rolls back down toward the fairway. As it does, he takes his iron over his head and whips into the right side of the bunker. His third shot isn’t much better; he pitches to 16 feet. 

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Homa saves him. He drops a 13-footer for birdie, the U.S. grabs a 1-up lead with a hole to play, and the Americans celebrate. Homa fist-pumps emotionally. Horschel squats forward and raises both fists. If you’re looking for a moment at the Presidents Cup, here it is. 

Until the next hole. 

Celebration No. 2 

Ten carts per team are watching now. All four tee shots find the fairway. Horschel’s second shot is long and left, Homa hits to 11 feet. Horschel walks over to Homa and double fist-pumps. 

“Dude, if he makes this putt, it’s 8-2 and it’s over,” a fan says. That’s not right, but we get what he means. That’s a tough advantage to overcome. 

On the green, Horschel again struggles with his pitch, dropping his ball to 9 feet  Doesn’t matter. Homa makes, and they win. 

Homa turns around and fist-pumps, even more emotionally than the 17th. 

Horschel fist-pumps, walks over to Homa and tackle-hugs him.  

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They shake hands with Pendrith and Conners. Billy Horschel is 1-0 in match-play.

And yeah, Davis Love III tried to warn us. 

“Yeah, even this morning lived up to it,” Horschel said afterward. “I woke up this morning and felt like I had to throw up for three hours straight.

“It was the most nervous I’ve been ever before any round of golf in my entire life. I think it’s just the anticipation of wanting to be on these teams for so many years and missing out and finally making one.

“When I finally started warming up, that feeling finally went away. Yeah, it lived up to everything that I expected. To see this guy right here perform at the end was truly special.”

The post A butt slap, an overhead club toss and fist-bumps: Billy Horschel’s debut was some ride appeared first on Golf.

The post LIV trolls, shotgunning beers and being selfish: Billy Horschel is loving his shot   appeared first on Golf.

The post LIV trolls, shotgunning beers and being selfish: Billy Horschel is loving his shot   appeared first on Golf.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — About time. Say those words as you would with a sense of relief, almost exhaling it. About time. [Breath] 

And say them, too, with some soul, and with a curse word, and in a bold font. About damn time. 

And now you’re speaking like Billy Horschel. 

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The heart-on-his golf-shirt-sleeve 35-year-old has been a pro for 13 years, and he had yet to make one of these team events, until he did, when this week he’s among the dozen who will play for Team USA at the Presidents Cup. Even just to say that makes him feel things. And, of course, that’s before any golf ball has been put into the air at Quail Hollow, though if his Tuesday session with reporters is any sign, this weekend is gonna be some kind of hoot. 

It all hit Sunday night, he said. He had one of those look-all-around-and-soak-it-all-in moments. Team U-S-A. 

About time. [Breath]

Then he started rewinding. 

About damn time. 

“Eight years ago [at the 2014 Ryder Cup] you were the hottest player in the world and you didn’t get selected,” a reporter began. “I realize it was a close call in the timing and all of that. How did that whole experience feel?”

“I had a kid two days later, so I couldn’t have cared less, honestly, that I didn’t make the team,” Horschel said Tuesday. “It did suck when I watched the Ryder Cup the following week and the U.S. not play very well and understanding that I felt like I could have helped. Whether my presence and me being there could have helped us win, I don’t know.

“Yeah, watching it, it sucked not being part of the team, but I had a newborn baby in my arms and I was a happy man.”

“Did it make you want to make these teams more?”

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“No,” he said.

Surprising, but remember who you’re talking to here. Let’s continue.  

“You already wanted to?”

“You’ve got to understand, my desire burns so hot that I can’t go any higher,” Horschel said. “I’m always — to make these teams, to get better in the game of golf, to achieve the things I want to in the game of golf, the desire to do this and motivate me is the highest it could possibly be. There’s no higher ceiling. There’s nowhere else for it to go.”

Let’s talk LIV Golf now. Everyone is these days, it seems. And though these golfers tell you they don’t read and hear things, we’re not naive here and these guys don’t all live in a bubble. And the chatter Horschel heard was that he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a host of players leaving the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed series, banning them from Tour events and the Presidents Cup, a Tour-owned entity.

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“I know there’s been a lot of chatter about it on both sides, at least the players who went to the LIV Tour,” Horschel said. “Then as Max [Homa] sort of indicated Sunday after he won, there was a lot of people on social media that like to chime in.

“What he’s heard, I’ve heard as well, I only made the team because the LIV guys left the Tour. I mean, those are just people that don’t know what the F they’re talking about. If they would have seen the points list when they left the Tour, Max and I were clearly in the top 12. So it doesn’t bother us one bit.”

We’ll stay with LIV. And another online topic, though a few weeks ago, on Claude Harmon’s podcast, renowned instructor Butch Harmon even suggested the thought.  

“Billy, you give honest answers,” a reporter started. “If there were ever a PGA Tour-LIV team event, would that interest you?”

“There was this conversation, I don’t know when it was, and it was discussed,” Horschel said. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind playing in it, but at the same time, you’ve got to look at things — what would the PGA Tour benefit from that? Nothing. If we win, we’re supposed to win. If we lose, it looks bad on the PGA Tour. So it’s really a lose-lose for the PGA Tour in that situation, and LIV’s got everything to gain from it.

“But as a player, we’re all competitive, and I have great relationships with a lot of those guys and I would love to compete with them. I was looking forward to playing the Presidents Cup and maybe getting paired against Cam Smith, who’s a really good friend of mine. If somehow there was a little LIV-PGA Tour competition, I would love that. I would love to play against Cam Smith or one of my good friends, Ian Poulter or something like that.

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“Like I said, I’m not the one who makes that decision. There’s more that goes into a decision like that. I wouldn’t fault the PGA Tour or anyone saying this doesn’t benefit us going forward. I see that side of it, and I’m fine with that.”

Back to the golf golf. And Horschel golf. And a question you’ve maybe been wondering about from a player who enjoys a good club slam. Thing is, he knows you’re wondering. Horschel’s answer, at first, is bland, then he knows what the questioner is trying to unearth. 

“Have you thought what Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday is going to be like on that 1st hole with the build-out and what that emotion for you is going to be like?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be really cool,” he said. “I think what everyone — you’ve got to understand. And what everyone’s been building — I’ll say this in a nice way. It’s not a bad way. I’m not trying to make me look good.

“But everyone has been building me up because of how much energy I have and some of the celebrations I have on the course at times, but a lot of that is organic. A lot of that’s natural. It comes to me, and then it just is a natural reaction to things. So when [captain] Davis [Love III] says, we’ve got to rein Billy in with his energy or we want Billy on the 1st tee pumping everyone up, I’m like you’re killing me here. You’re like pumping me up — not to fail.

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“Are you going to pump the fans up at all?”

“Guys, I don’t know what I’m going to feel like on the 1st tee,” Horschel said. “It’s different. I mean, if you get me out into a Florida Gator stadium on the field before a game with 90,000 fans, yeah, I’m going to go crazy. There’s 90,000 fans there. It hits me, and I kick into a little different gear.

“I don’t know what I’m going to feel, but I’m like, man, everybody’s pumping me up to be this energizer, like this cheerleader type player for the team and everything. I can be like that. But I want you to understand it may not happen because we may not need it. I don’t want to let everyone down because they’re not going to see the energy, the celebration.

“I’ll tell you one thing I won’t be doing. I won’t be shotgunning any beers or drinking in the stands with the fans. That’s one thing I won’t be doing. Not that I fault the players in the past, but it’s just not my style.”

Fair enough. 

We’ll end things this way, with a back-and-forth on the journey. 

And why, when you finally make one of these team events, after 13 years as a pro, at the age of 35, you feel things. 

About time. [Breath]

About damn time. 

“You make the choices you make for your career, and you have your support system, they get it, you’re doing the right things for your career. Despite all that, is there any part of you that struggles with personal guilt? Saying I know I had to do this, I know the people around me get it, yet I still feel guilty for missing X or making X decision or whatever.”

“I’ve got three kids at home,” Horschel began. “You know what, I completely get it. That’s why what my wife went through in her addiction and her alcoholism sort of brought a new light to a lot of things, and I’ve become — we both — my wife, Brittany, and I both have become better at being more present when we’re around each other, when we’re around the kids.

“I’ve done very well at, when I go home, making sure I leave golf at the golf course and not thinking about how do I get better the next day? What do I have to do to get better? Just the constant of trying to improve.

“But, yeah, it’s tough for them, and I thank my family and friends enough because there are times that I sort of get in my own little bubble and forget where I am at times. It’s crucial to make sure that, when you have that time, you’re present. And that’s why, even at 35, I’ve already got — and I’ve had these feelings for a little bit now.

“I don’t know if I will play this game past the age of 45. I don’t know if I’m going to play the Champions Tour because my kids are going to be at a certain age and I want to be around them more. I want to be at sporting events more.

“We all have sacrificed a lot in this game of golf. I’ve missed going on trips with my friends and our couple friends and going overseas and doing all these adventures. At some point missing all that and still continuing to play golf sort of weighs on you. And it’s like, you know what, I want to go live my life outside the game of golf.

“That point will come for me down the road, and I’ll enjoy that next stage of my life when that happens.”

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The post Who’s playing in the Presidents Cup? Meet the U.S. and International teams appeared first on Golf.

The post Who’s playing in the Presidents Cup? Meet the U.S. and International teams appeared first on Golf.

The stage is set for for the 2022 Presidents Cup where 24 of the PGA Tour’s top golfers — 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world (except for Europe) — will meet for the biennial matches.

Due to the pandemic, this will be the first Presidents Cup since 2019, when the Tiger Woods-captained U.S. team narrowly edged the Ernie Els-led International squad with a miraculous come-from-behind win in Sunday singles.

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The U.S. team holds a dominating 10-1-1 record in the matches and most expect a similarly dominate performance with LIV Golf defectors being ineligible to play in this year’s event and taking the hardest toll on Trevor Immelman’s International team.

Without further ado, let us introduce you to the players who are playing this year.

United States Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Davis Love III

Love was a six-time member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team and compiled a 16-8-4 record in those matches. Love — who was born in Charlotte, N.C., home of this week’s host, Quail Hollow Club — won 21 times on the PGA Tour, including one major win at the 1997 PGA Championship. He also notably won the 2015 Wyndham Championship at the age of 51, becoming the third-oldest winner in PGA Tour history. Love was an assistant captain on the 2013, 2015 and 2017 Presidents Cup teams and captained the 2012 and 2016 Ryder Cup teams.

Sam Burns

Career Presidents Cup record: First appearance

Burns may have been overshadowed by close friend Scottie Scheffler in the early part of the 2021-22 season, but the Louisianan had a break out year himself, winning three times, including taking down Scheffler in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. This will be his first appearance at either the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.

Patrick Cantlay

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Cantlay had another solid year in 2022, winning once while defending his crown at the BMW Championship in Wilmington and teaming up with Xander Schauffele to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He played all of his matches in 2019 with Schauffele and figures to do so again. Cantlay was also very successful at last year’s Ryder Cup where he compiled a 3-0-1 record at Whistling Straits, the one tie coming in the only match he wasn’t paired with Schauffele.

Tony Finau

Record: 0-1-3 in one appearance (2019)

The big-hitting Finau had a slow start to the season before catching fire over the summer, notching five top-5s in a stretch of eight events, including back-to-back wins at the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic in July. He somewhat surprisingly did not notch a win in his only Presidents Cup appearance in 2019. He only had one loss in four matches, however, and he’ll be looking for a new partner as both his partners from 2019, Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau, are not playing this year. He’s picked up three wins in his two Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2021.

Max Homa*

Record: First appearance

Homa comes in as perhaps the hottest player in the matches. He won in dramatic fashion last week at the PGA Tour season opening Fortinet Championship, holing a chip shot from off the 18th green to win. He also finished a career best tied for fifth in the Tour Championship in his previous start. This will be his first team match appearance.

Billy Horschel*

Record: First appearance

If you were shocked to learn Horschel is making his first ever appearance in either the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup this week, you’re not alone. Horschel’s career resume includes seven PGA Tour titles, including this year’s Memorial Tournament, and the 2014 FedEx Cup. He’s had a mixed bag of a season, missing four of last eight cuts on the PGA Tour, but with the win in Columbus sandwiched between two of them. He did earn a top 10 in his most recent appearance during his title defense at the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship.

Kevin Kisner*

Record: 2-0-2 in one appearance (2017)

Kisner is the oldest player on Team USA’s roster and has become known as somewhat of a match play savant, including a win at the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and owning an undefeated record at the 2017 Presidents Cup. His best finish this past season was a second at — you guessed it — the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but he did rack up five other top 10s. Kisner will also be looking for a new partner as he played with Phil Mickelson in all three team matches in 2017.

Collin Morikawa*

Record: First appearance

Morikawa came out just as hot as his first three years on Tour to begin this season with five straight finishes of T7 or better, but he fell back to earth a little toward the end of the year, his first on Tour without a win. Although he did lead the U.S. Open through 36 holes, he struggled Saturday and was out of contention by Sunday. The two-time major winner, who is still just 25 years old, showed better form at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August with a T5 finish, but needed to be one of Love’s six captain’s selections to make it to Quail Hollow. He led the U.S. team in qualifying for the Ryder Cup last year and went 3-0-1 at Whistling Straits, his lone tie coming in singles.

Xander Schauffele

Record: 3-2-0 in one appearance (2019)

Like Finau, Schauffele also had a strong end to the season, finishing in the top 20 in all but one of his last 11 events. Again, like Finau, he notched back-to-back wins at the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open. He also teamed with Cantlay for a team win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and figures to see a lot of his close friend whom he has a 4-2-0 record with in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup matches.

Scottie Scheffler

Record: First appearance

Scheffler has come a long way from being a captain’s selection at last year’s Ryder Cup. The Texan notched his first four PGA Tour wins last season, including a major victory at the Masters, and earned the World No. 1 ranking. While he didn’t come away with the FedEx Cup title, PGA Tour Player of The Year honors are a decent consolation — as well as the $5.75 million he got for finishing T2 at East Lake. He went undefeated, going 2-0-1 at Whistling Straits, teaming with Bryson DeChambeau in two four-ball matches. He also beat Kisner at this year’s WGC-Match Play.

Jordan Spieth*

Record: 8-5-1 in three appearances (2013, 2015, 2017)

After missing the 2019 matches, Spieth is back on the U.S. team at just the right time. With stalwarts like Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed absent this year, Spieth and Justin Thomas are the only players with multiple Presidents Cup matches under their belt coming into the week. The 29-year-old notched a win at the RBC Heritage this season and finished a respectable tied for 13th in the FedEx Cup. He carries a career 16-12-4 record in U.S. team cup matches and played with Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed in all of his partner matches in 2015 and 2017. At last year’s Ryder Cup, he paired most often with good buddy Justin Thomas.

Justin Thomas

Record: 6-2-2 in two appearances (2017, 2019)

Thomas may not have met all of his preseason goals, but he notched 11 top 10s last season and his second major title at the PGA Championship. He brings with him the most impressive U.S. team match record, going 12-4-3 across two Presidents Cups and two Ryder Cups. In his two previous Presidents Cups, he paired with Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Daniel Berger, all of whom are not playing this week. He figures to play more with Spieth as he did twice at Whistling Straits.

Cameron Young*

Record: First appearance

Young had a debut season to remember, notching six top-three finishes and was one of two rookies to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship. Those top finishes also include just missing out on the playoff at the PGA Championship by one stroke, and the memorable eagle finish at the Open Championship at St. Andrews to earn the runner-up spot.

International Team

*denotes captain’s pick

Captain: Trevor Immelman (South Africa)

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Immelman is the youngest captain in International team history at just 42 years old. The South African is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, including one major, holding off Tiger Woods to win the 2008 Masters. He’s also picked up six victories around the world on the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour. He’s a two-time veteran of the Presidents Cup and served as assistant captain under Ernie Els in 2019. Many fans will know him now for his broadcasting as he is expected to take over as the lead analyst for CBS’s golf coverage, following Nick Faldo.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout* (South Africa)

Record: First appearance

Bezuidenhout had a solid rookie year, making 20 cuts in 24 starts on the PGA Tour with 10 top-25 finishes. He’s perhaps better known in Europe, having a breakout year in 2020 while notching three victories including the Alfred Dunhill Championship. His best finish on the PGA Tour in 2022 was a T2 showing at the John Deere Classic and he advanced to the second FedEx Cup Playoff event at the BMW Championship. He’s one of five Presidents Cup first-timers selected by Immelman.

Corey Conners (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Conners played his way to the Tour Championship for the third time of his career thanks to 20 made cuts in 25 starts and four top-10 finishes. One of those top 10s came last month at the BMW Championship where he finished in T5, but he missed the cut last week in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Fortinet Championship. The Canadian has one win under his belt on the PGA Tour, coming at the 2019 Valero Texas Open.

Cam Davis* (Australia)

Record: First appearance

Davis notched five top-10s in 25 starts last season on the PGA Tour. His best golf came toward the end of the season when he made his last 10 cuts in a row. His best year on Tour came a season ago when he made 21 of 26 cuts and notched his debut win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His cuts-made streak broke last week at the Fortinet Championship where rounds of 74 and 70 sent him to Charlotte early.

Sungjae Im (South Korea)

Record: 3-1-1 in one appearance (2019)

The iron man of the PGA Tour, nobody plays more golf than Sungjae Im. Im had another strong season on Tour in 2021-22, winning for the second time at the Shriners Children’s Open and finishing strong with three T2 finishes in his last five events, including at the Tour Championship. The World No. 19 will be heavily relied upon as one of just four veterans on the International team with Presidents Cup experience. All three of his partners from Royal Melbourne — Adam Hadwin, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith — are not on the team this year.

Tom Kim (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Kim burst onto the scene in 2022, finishing third at the Genesis Scottish Open, seventh at the Rocket Mortgage, and then capturing his first win at the Wyndham Championship in August to secure his PGA Tour membership and even qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He was only a special temporary member when he won, but had earned enough points to get his full status for 2023. He’s now exempt through 2024 and he auto-qualified for the International team.

K. H. Lee* (South Korea)

Record: First appearance

Lee has two PGA Tour titles and both have come at the AT&T Byron Nelson. At this year’s tournament, Lee outdueled Jordan Spieth down the stretch to defend his title. The rest of his season wasn’t much to write home about, with almost as many missed cuts (7) as top-25s (8), until he used T20 and T5 finishes in the first two Playoff events to catapult his way into his first Tour Championship appearance.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

Record: 6-7-4 in four appearances (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)

Hard to believe the 30-year-old Matuyama is about to start his fifth Presidents Cup, but the Japanese star heads to Quail Hollow as the alpha of the International squad. It was another good year for the World No. 17 on the PGA Tour, finishing 11th in the FedEx Cup after winning twice, with one of those victories coming last fall in his home country at the Zozo Championship. Only one of his previous partners, Adam Scott, is on the roster this week and they haven’t played together since Matsuyama’s Presidents Cup debut in 2013.

Sebastián Muñoz* (Colombia)

Record: First appearance

Munoz hasn’t quite played up to the same level as he did in his breakout season in 2019-20 when he got his first win at the Sanderson Farms Championship and then went on to finish 8th in the final FedEx Cup standings thanks to a solid performance at East Lake, but his 2021-22 campaign was enough to earn a captain’s pick. He had two runner-up finishes on the season.

Si Woo Kim* (South Korea)

Record: 1-2-0 in one appearance (2017)

Kim was the only one of Immelman’s captain’s selections with previous Presidents Cup experience, winning a four-ball match and losing in foursomes and singles matches in New Jersey in 2017. That season was also the year of his signature win, The Players Championship. He won in early 2021 at The American Express, but has not played well as of late, only recording one top 10s in 21-22, last fall at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Both of his partners from 2017 are not on this year’s team.

Taylor Pendrith* (Canada)

Record: First appearance

Normally for a rookie, an injury can be devastating. Taylor Pendrith missed time between The Players in March and the Barbasol Championship in July because of a rip injury, but it didn’t stop him from earning nine top 25s in 16 starts. Since coming back from the injury, Pendrith finished worse than T13th once in six starts, including a tie for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a tie for eighth at the BMW Championship.

Mito Pereira (Chile)

Record: First appearance

Heartbreak at the PGA Championship overshadowed what was otherwise a very respectable debut season on the PGA Tour for Pereira. He opened the year with a solo third at the Fortinet Championship and had two other top 10s, including at Southern Hills. Of course his season will be remembered for the leading the PGA through 71 holes, only to hit his tee shot in the water on 18, leading to a double bogey and missing the playoff. Pereira was rumored to be joining LIV Golf, but reportedly is waiting to jump so he could play in the Presidents Cup.

Adam Scott (Australia)

Record: 16-22-6 in nine appearances

The 42-year old hasn’t missed a Presidents Cup since 2001 and is by far the most experienced player on either team, having more appearances than the entire International team combined and as many as the entire American team combined. His 10th appearance will break his own record for the Internationals. He also has a chance to tie or pass Ernie Els’ International record of 21 points this week. Aging like fine wine, the 42-year-old didn’t win on the PGA Tour this year, but only missed two cuts all year and had five top 10s. His back-to-back T5s to start the FedEx Cup Playoffs helped him play his way into the Tour Championship from outside the top 70 at the end of the regular season. Matsuyama is the only teammate his paired with before on the International roster.

The post Who’s playing in the Presidents Cup? Meet the U.S. and International teams appeared first on Golf.

The post Ian Poulter, Billy Horschel confronted each other. Poulter shares his side. appeared first on Golf.

The post Ian Poulter, Billy Horschel confronted each other. Poulter shares his side. appeared first on Golf.

Ian Poulter touched the chest of Billy Horschel with his left hand. 

Horschel raised his left hand. 

Horschel took a small step back. 

Poulter took a small step forward. 

Poulter raised his left arm. 

Horschel took a small step forward and raised his left arm. 

Poulter slid over to Horschel’s left side with his left arm raised. 

Poulter took two steps back. 

All the while they were talking, though the sound was barely audible. 

The scene, captured in a video shot by George Cooper of National Club Golfer, didn’t look good Wednesday at Wentworth Golf Club. It looked heated. You can imagine why, and many have. In short, Poulter is a longtime DP World Tour and PGA Tour pro who has joined upstart LIV Golf, but is playing this week’s event at Wentworth, the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour, ahead of a trial that should determine whether he and other LIV players can play more DP World Tour events in the future. Horschel, meanwhile, is a longtime PGA Tour player, the defending BMW PGA champion, and has been vocal in his displeasure at the idea of LIV players returning to the PGA Tour or the DP World World Tour, including on Tuesday, when he spoke during his pre-tournament press conference. And a day later, one day before the start of the event, Poulter and Horschel met on the Wentworth practice green. It’s complicated. 

But Poulter said it shouldn’t be. He dismissed the discussion on Thursday. Both sides also said they talked on Tuesday, after Horschel’s press conference. And on Saturday morning, Poulter even spoofed the video on his social media channels, and Horschel shared it.        

Was everybody trying to diffuse things? Perhaps. But Poulter told Golf Digest on Thursday that he had “no problem with Billy.”

“All these [players] out here, I have been friendly with for a really long time,” Poulter told Golf Digest. “So let’s draw a line between personal and business. It’s really easy to have a level-headed conversation with someone when you respect them, even though you have a difference of opinion. That’s fine. I can still be somebody’s friend.

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“That’s the nice thing about this game we play, and it will be a sad time if people let it spill over and take friendships away. That would be sad. We had a lovely chat the night before for an hour, outside the front of the hotel. There’s nothing in it. Billy is quite an animated guy, and I am, too. He has strong opinions, and I normally do, too, so you can tell how that would look on camera.”

Horschel also said he and Poulter talked Tuesday night. In an interview on the Gravy and the Sleeze show on SiriusXM radio on Wednesday, Horschel explained why he thought LIV players shouldn’t be playing this week and said he had a “conversation” with Poulter and Lee Westwood, another longtime PGA Tour and DP World Pro who is now playing for LIV.  

“Obviously I’ve said my comments, and I’ve been consistent with everything I’ve said for the last couple months,” Horschel said on the show. “I don’t feel these guys should be in this tournament this week. I understand that a lot of these guys, several of these guys have supported the European Tour for many, many decades. But the reason I don’t feel like they should be here is one, they didn’t follow all the process; they didn’t get a release and then they got suspended, or whatever they did on DP World Tour, and they put an injunction in that allowed them to play, so that court case gets decided in February. The one thing I looked at too is that these guys signed for a lot of money and they’re playing for a lot of money on that LIV tour. And I’m very happy for them, and I’ve said that from the very beginning. I’m very happy for these guys that made that decision and that’s the decision they wanted to make for their career. Like, that’s really cool. That’s not what I want to do, but that’s what they want to do. So I’m happy for them. 

“But the DP World Tour guys have struggled over here financially to play for big, big purses. Now, they’re playing at the biggest purse I think they have on this tour, that’s a full-field event, and you got X-amount of LIV guys that are taking spots away from players that are trying to keep their card, or raise their profile in the game of golf, and at the end of the day, depending on how many of those LIV guys play, they’re going to wind up taking money away from these other DP World players that need it more honestly. And so, that’s tough. That’s why I said I don’t think they should be here personally. 

“I’ve had conversations with Lee and Ian. You know, I talked here Monday and I didn’t know where I was going to fall on this fence a little bit and then I said my comments yesterday in the media and then I saw Lee and Ian at the hotel afterwards and I just sort of said, hey, guys, just to let you know, this is what I said in the media, and we had a conversation for about an hour and the great thing I love about Ian and Lee, who I’ve known for many years and I get along with very well, is that we can disagree on views and have different opinions, but we can still be very respectful and we can give our side of what we see things and try to understand the other side, understand what the other person is trying to bring. But we can still be friends and have still the same friendship. Like I said, I have no ill will towards these guys at all and if someone has an issue with me, that is their own issue, it’s not me. I mean, I don’t — like I said, it’s nothing personal with me.”

On Saturday, Poulter and Horschel tried to put an end to it all. On his social media channels, Poulter wrote: “Don’t always believe what you read or hear in the media,” and he applied the following audio to the original video:

“Billy, we spoke about this,” the Poulter audio said.  

“No, no, no, it’s light blue on the bottom, navy on top. You got it wrong. OK, you tell me,” the Horschel audio said. 

“Listen, listen, you’re not that good looking, Mr. Ralph Pin-up Boy,” the Poulter audio said.  

“OK, Rod Stewart, what are you wearing tomorrow?” the Horschel audio said. 

“Billy, it’s Sir Rod Stewart,” the Poulter audio said. “Picture this: my tartan trousers that no one likes — I know you don’t have a pair of them — so let’s no [bleep] it up tomorrow.”

On his Instagram story, Horschel shared the video and wrote:

“Poults never told me he was mic’d up!” 

The post Ian Poulter, Billy Horschel confronted each other. Poulter shares his side. appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Why are you here?’: Billy Horschel rips LIV players in BMW PGA field appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Why are you here?’: Billy Horschel rips LIV players in BMW PGA field appeared first on Golf.

Several LIV golfers will tee it up this week in the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship, and Billy Horschel is not happy about it.

The defending BMW PGA champion fielded questions from the media for 20 minutes on Tuesday, and those listening got their money’s worth. Horschel pulled no punches when the dialogue turned to the LIV golfers’ presence in the field this week at Wentworth.

“Even though Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have been stalwarts for the European Tour, I don’t think those guys really should be here,” Horschel said. “I honestly don’t think that the American guys who haven’t supported the PGA Tour should be here. Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak — you’ve never played this tournament, you’ve never supported the DP World Tour. Why are you here?”

Horschel speculated that the only reason the LIV golfers are on hand is to garner world-ranking points. As it stands currently, LIV golf events do not award any points for the Official World Golf Ranking — which, for many, is their only avenue into major championships.

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“You are here for one reason only,” Horschel said. “That’s to try to get World Ranking points because you don’t have them [on LIV].”

The PGA Tour immediately suspended any player teeing up in a LIV Golf event, while others resigned their memberships. The DP World Tour also levied suspensions and fines against LIV golfers, but an arbitration judge paused those sanctions, with a final judgment expected early next year.

Horschel continued his tirade by calling out the LIV golfers for their hypocrisy — specifically as it pertains to the “limited schedule” that playing the start-up tour affords.

“It’s pretty hypocritical to come over here and play outside LIV when your big thing was to spend more time with family and want to play less golf,” he said. “So that’s my stance on it. I can see where other guys may differ and have a different opinion.”

This isn’t the first time Horschel has been critical of those playing on the up-start golf tour. At the Scottish Open this summer, he also blasted the LIV golfers in the field for their hypocrisy. Last month, Horschel said LIV golfers had been “brainwashed.”

“If we were on the PGA Tour, I would be hard-lined as I’ve always been,” he said.

The post ‘Why are you here?’: Billy Horschel rips LIV players in BMW PGA field appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘They’ve been brainwashed:’ Billy Horschel sounds off on LIV players’ expectations appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘They’ve been brainwashed:’ Billy Horschel sounds off on LIV players’ expectations appeared first on Golf.

Billy Horschel isn’t expecting to see any LIV Golf players back on the PGA Tour anytime soon.

“I’ve said to some of the guys personally, I think they’ve been brainwashed,” Horschel said of LIV commits in an interview with Golf Channel Wednesday from the FedEx St. Jude Championship. “The way they feel so adamant that they’re going to be back on the PGA Tour.”

On Tuesday, a federal judge denied a temporary restraining order that would have allowed three LIV players, Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford, to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs this month. The trio is part of a group of 10 LIV Golfers who have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

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A day later, Horschel, who was critical last month at the Scottish Open of players trying to retain membership on the PGA Tour while playing LIV Golf events, didn’t sound surprised by Tuesday’s ruling.

“I’ve had some of [the LIV Golfers] tell me, ‘I’ll see you on Tour again.’ I said, ‘No you won’t,'” Horschel said.

This is just the first legal battle between the Tour and LIV Golf, but many pros like Horschel are already making their stances known.

Horschel wasn’t the only Tour loyalist sounding off on the court hearing this week. In his pre-tournament press conference at the FedEx St. Jude, Rory McIlroy said Tuesday a good day for the Tour and its membership, adding that the suit has stirred up ill will with PGA Tour players.

“I certainly have a little more respect for the guys that haven’t put their names to the suit,” McIlroy said. “It’s become a little more personal because of that.”

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McIlroy has been a de facto spokesperson in defending the Tour, as a member of the Tour’s policy board. He also said seeing players try to come back after leaving the Tour, makes things more difficult.

“I think where the resentment comes from from the membership of this tour is the fact that they want to try to get their way back in here with no consequences, he said. “Anyone that’s read the PGA Tour handbook or abided by the rules and regulations, that would feel very unfair to them.”

Justin Thomas, took a lighter approach, explaining how is getting tired of constantly asked about LIV.

“It’s unfortunately just taking up the golf world a little bit and taking away from great storylines,” Thomas said on Wednesday. “I think I saw Scottie [Scheffler] came in and did his interview yesterday and I’m sure he got asked about what was going on, and he’s had one of the best seasons of all time. I mean, the most money that’s ever been earned and winning the FedExCup by a mile and I’m sure there weren’t as many questions about that as there should have been.”

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The post Billy Horschel blasts ‘hypocrites’ playing LIV Golf events in epic tirade appeared first on Golf.

The post Billy Horschel blasts ‘hypocrites’ playing LIV Golf events in epic tirade appeared first on Golf.

Billy Horschel is sick of the hypocrites.

During his pre-tournament presser at the Scottish Open, Horschel didn’t hold back when asked his thoughts on pros who have decided to abandon the PGA Tour to play in the lucrative LIV Golf events. Specifically, Horschel believes a handful of pros are talking out both sides of their mouths when it comes to the LIV-PGA Tour schism.

“To say that they wanted to also support this tour or the DP or PGA Tour going forward, while playing the LIV Tour, is completely asinine in my opinion,” he said. “To play the PGA Tour, you’ve got to play 15 events and their schedule is 8 events, 14; so say they are going to play 29 events a year and still hold membership on the PGA Tour is ridiculous.”

Horschel’s beef is with the players who wish to remain members of the establishment tours while still cashing big checks in LIV events. Many pros have said they want to play on the upstart tour in order to play less golf and spend more time with their families, but that explanation doesn’t hold water in Horschel’s eyes.

“I’m just tired of these comments,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’re going to play LIV and then go play 15 events on the PGA Tour and playing 20. That’s not a small schedule, that’s not playing less.”

The seven-time Tour winner also has taken exception to some of the comments made about the PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan. Those comments are not only an attack on the organization, but everyone who makes up the PGA Tour — Horschel included.

“There are a lot of guys that are hypocrites that are not telling the truth and lying about some things that I just can’t stand to sit here anymore and be diplomatic anymore about it as I have been in the past,” he said. “I don’t fault anyone for going to play the LIV Tour. I don’t have any ill will for anyone going to play the LIV Tour. I do [have] ill will about the comments they make, comments that Jay Monahan doesn’t listen to PGA Tour [players] or that Jay Monahan doesn’t listen to us. Jay Monahan and everyone at headquarters is the PGA Tour. They work tirelessly for us to reap financial rewards and have all the opportunities that we have.

“At the same time I am one of the 200-plus members of the PGA Tour, I am the PGA Tour,” he continued. “So when you take shots at the PGA Tour, at Jay Monahan, you’re not just taking shots at them. You’re taking shots at us.”

The PGA Tour recently suspended pros who have played in LIV Golf events without getting the proper release. Others, such as Dustin Johnson, have resigned their memberships from the Tour.

The DP World Tour, who is in a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour, also recently suspended and fined players as well, though some of the suspensions are in flux as they work through the court system.

Horschel, however, does not believe the defectors should be allowed to return to their former tours.

“I believe they made their bed,” Horschel said. “They decided to go play a tour and they should go play that tour. They shouldn’t be coming back over here to play the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour.”

The post Billy Horschel blasts ‘hypocrites’ playing LIV Golf events in epic tirade appeared first on Golf.

The post Billy Horschel admits he was ‘an idiot.’ Then he and his caddie talked. appeared first on Golf.

The post Billy Horschel admits he was ‘an idiot.’ Then he and his caddie talked. appeared first on Golf.

We’ll try to keep this simple. Billy Horschel, after all, wishes he would have. 

You see, the veteran pro says he has a process. And so good, he says, is his process that “everyone has told me on my team for years, when I have that, I’m able to make better golf swings on a regular basis.” Then Horschel and his caddie went away from the process for a couple weeks. And Team Horschel finished 68th at the PGA Championship two weeks ago. And missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge last week. 

We know what you may be thinking, and a reporter asked it Saturday at the Memorial. 

“You know what works, but yet you kind of got away from it. Why is that?”

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“Yeah, I’m an idiot for not doing what I need to do on a regular basis,” Horschel said. 

Simple enough. Though, as those of us who have gotten away from our own “processes” know, while the answers are easy to explain afterward, they aren’t necessarily in the moment. It’s the whole hindsight being 20/20 thing. And so it was with Horschel and caddie Mark Fulcher. We’ll jump ahead and tell you that they won this week, by an impressive four shots at Muirfield Village, no less, but it took a “conversation” to get there. 

We’ll start by defining his process. Horschel is, shall we say, one of the more energized pros out there, so he says he needs a second or 15 before a shot. Talk it through. Check the yardage. Check the wind. Pick the club. Feel right. Then hit.     

“So usually even though I may be carrying on a conversation with somebody, I’m very aware of where my golf ball is, I’m very aware where the pin is, I’m very aware where I need to put the ball on the green and where I may need to miss it if I don’t hit a great golf shot,” he said. “That’s why sometimes when I get a number, I just grab a club right away and sort of have an idea of the shot I want to hit and then I go. We talk real quick, and it’s gone. …

“It’s just giving ourselves 10 to 15 extra seconds before I pull away and then he tries to — he’ll try to chime in and sometimes I’ll shoo him away unfortunately.”

And that’s kind of it. Somewhere along the way, the process got a little too jumpy. And the thought of ready, aim, fire more or less took out the middle word.

“I mean, I’m sure I’m going to shock everyone when I say this: I move very quick, and I’m impatient, and so I’m ready to go without always being clear on everything,” Horschel said. “Sometimes I just want to get the golf shot over with.

“Yes, am I an idiot for not doing what I know works every time? Yes. But I need to do a better job of it. If I’m going to win the golf tournaments I want to win, and I feel like I can win, then I need to do a better job of it on a daily, weekly basis, especially when it comes to the bigger events.”

So after the Charles Schwab, they talked. Horschel’s idea. 

No, he wasn’t blaming his bag man, he said. But player and caddie had a player-and-caddie kind of talk. 

What are we doing?

We know the process. 

Let’s get back to it. 

You know the result. 

“Fooch does a really good job, and Fooch tries, and sometimes I’m short and I don’t want to listen,” Horschel said. “Like I said, shocking.

“Yes, I mean, Fooch has done an unbelievable job of trying to do the right things, and sometimes we just move a little too quick. We’re not very clear enough on everything we need to do, and so that falls on me, not on Fooch. Like I said, we had a conversation after Colonial, and we just said, we need to get back to it.

“There was a couple times where I’ve tried maybe a little quick this week, and he’s sort of pulled me back, and there’s other times where we thought we had the shot and then I wasn’t sort of fully committed and I backed off and we talked about it a little bit more to make sure we were hitting the right shot with the right club and doing things to give ourselves the chance to succeed.

“Yeah, Fooch is great. It’s all on me at the end of the day.”

Will it all last? Who’s to say? The U.S. Open is next, and U.S. Opens aren’t easy. 

Then again, this process isn’t difficult. 

‘Like I said, just taking 10, 15 extra seconds, that’s all it really comes down to over the shots before we hit it, and that’s all it’s come down to,” Horschel said. 

“It’s very simple.”

The post Billy Horschel admits he was ‘an idiot.’ Then he and his caddie talked. appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Billy Horschel’s equipment at the 2022 Memorial Tournament appeared first on Golf.

The post Winner’s bag: Billy Horschel’s equipment at the 2022 Memorial Tournament appeared first on Golf.

Billy Horschel was nearly unflappable over 72 holes as he cruised to a four-shot win over Aaron Wise for his seventh PGA Tour title. Take a closer look at the equipment in his bag for the Memorial Tournament.

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft), 8 degrees

3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 shaft), 15 degrees

5-wood: Titleist TSi2 (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 6.5 shaft), 18 degrees

Irons: Titleist 620 CB (3-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shaft), 620 MB (5-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (52-12F and 56-10S degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Black Onyx shafts), Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks (62V degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Black Onyx shaft)

Putter: Ping Sigma 2 Tyne 4

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.

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The post ‘Absolute joke’: Billy Horschel rips impossible hole location at high school event appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘Absolute joke’: Billy Horschel rips impossible hole location at high school event appeared first on Golf.

He sympathized and complimented the girls. Then Billy Horschel ripped the officials. 

Yes, a golf hole in central Iowa, set during a high school state tournament, has even reached the PGA Tour. 

In case you missed it, the 76 girls who played Friday’s second round of the two-day event at River Valley Golf Course in Adel, Iowa, finished with one of the wilder pin locations you’ll see. And scores soared and comments came. In question was a hole set toward the front third of a severely sloped back-to-front green on the 280-yard, par-4 18th, where multiple players putted off it and scorecards reflected the damage; according to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s website, four players parred the hole, 12 bogeyed it, nine double-bogeyed — and 51 “othered.”

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And folks weighed in. The scene went viral after Jake Brend, a reporter with the ABC affiliate in Des Moines, tweeted out a short clip of the damage. 

“That hole belongs on a crazy golf course,” one person wrote. “The grass should have been cut to a lower stimp in my opinion. Some of those putts got to within a foot from the pin and rolled off the green. I’m surprised there weren’t a few snapped putters in shot”

“This was heartbreaking to watch yesterday,” another person wrote. “It had NOTHING to do with reading a green. Our kids waited 45 min to even tee off on that hole. Putting took up to 30 min for a group. Took my daughter from 3rd place to 8th. She will still play in college. it will not define her!”

“I feel for these young ladies,” another person commented. “I commend for for not giving up, and continuing to putt their ball while moving, a la Phil Mickelson at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills.” 

(In case you forgot, Mickelson purposefully stopped his ball with his putter after putting it past the hole on the 13th at Shinnecock. He was penalized and took a 10 on the hole). 

On Saturday morning, Billy Horschel, never shy to express himself, joined in. 

“Feel bad for these girls!” he wrote on his Instagram story. “Absolute joke by these officials to embarrass these young ladies. These officials should be banned from setting up a course in the future. This isn’t a accident … they knew what they were doing when they set up that hole location. I bet these young ladies handled it better than I would!”

As for the golf course itself, GOLF.com reached out on Saturday morning, but a message has not been returned.  

The post ‘Absolute joke’: Billy Horschel rips impossible hole location at high school event appeared first on Golf.