Anyone who has adopted Billy Horschel’s PGA Tour profession is aware of that he’s a participant who wears his coronary heart on his sleeve and is candid together with his ideas.
While these qualities have endeared him to many, Horschel’s fiery feelings (and occasional membership throws) have landed him in scorching water just a few occasions over the years — most notably at the 2021 Masters, when Horschel issued an apology for repeatedly slamming his wedge into his bag, and at the 2015 U.S. Open at (*84*) Bay, when he apologized for miming a tomahawk chop to the inexperienced together with his putter. He additionally ripped the USGA after his spherical for the situation of the greens.
So when Horschel fired one in every of the worst rounds of his skilled life, an 84, in the first spherical of the Memorial two weeks in the past, it might have been comprehensible if he merely needed to slink away with out speaking about it. But Horschel did step up to the podium to take questions after his spherical, delivering an emotional interview that was deeply revealing about the psychological toll {of professional} golf.
On this week’s episode of Subpar, Horschel advised hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz why he opted to speak.
“I signed my scorecard, I sat in the scoring room for a couple of minutes. And when I got up, one of the PGA Tour media officials came in,” Horschel mentioned. “I could see by her face, I knew what she wanted to ask: ‘Billy, would you be willing to answer some questions?’ I hadn’t thought about like if I was gonna be interviewed or not. I just said yes.”
Horschel mentioned he knew what the questions had been going to be, as a result of he had spoken about the iffy state of his sport and confidence in a earlier press convention that week. But though he was anticipating the questions, Horschel mentioned it was nonetheless powerful to discuss.
“I’m honest, you guys know I’m honest,” Horschel mentioned. “I’m never gonna give you the cliche answer. I’m gonna tell you how I feel. And maybe I haven’t always told you when I haven’t felt confident with my game or when things aren’t feeling right, sometimes you’re a little protective of that. But in that moment, I couldn’t protect anything. My confidence was bad. I didn’t feel confident in my game.”
Horschel mentioned making an excuse that he was sick or injured briefly crossed his thoughts, however he wouldn’t have the opportunity to stay with himself if he didn’t inform the fact and provides it his all.
“I’m very thankful for everyone that reached out to me,” he mentioned. “It meant a lot.”
Horschel added that it wasn’t even the rating of 84 that acquired him down — it was extra about the quantity of labor he had been placing in with out receiving any constructive suggestions that acquired to him.
“I’m not the only one on the PGA Tour that has dealt with this,” Horschel mentioned. “There’s many guys.”
For extra from Horschel, together with his ideas on this week’s U.S. Open host, Los Angeles Country Club, take a look at the full interview beneath.
