PALM BEACH GARDENS (Fla.) — Billy Horschel doesn’t let the Champion Course’s difficulty define his view of the Honda Classic.
Horschel is actually golf’s Florida Man. He was born in Florida, has been educated, and lives in Florida. This is a view that is different from the ones he shares with his peers, who have not waved the white flag when it comes to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Horschel stated that the courses can be difficult and can be exhausting. It can be difficult to play well on the easy courses.
Par is a great score on the more difficult courses. It makes it a lot easier. You don’t need to make six, seven or eight birdies per round if you aren’t on top of your game to be in the same league as the rest of the field.
This is a different way to look at it. That’s why Horschel is among three top 25 golfers worldwide who decided to kick off their Florida Swing by playing Honda, even if that means playing five consecutive weeks.
Time management is key to 5 straight games
Horschel said it’s been “quite awhile since he played five consecutive games”. After a slow start, Horschel is now tied for 32nd at the Phoenix Open two weekends ago and then missed the Genesis Invitational cut last week with a score of 74-73. He’s counting on his 14-year-old Tour experience to help him get through this stretch.
He said, “I believe I know how to manage time.” It makes it easier to have five weeks. Three of them are in Florida, where I can drive. All these courses are well-known to me. It is not something I must do all the time. This makes it much easier.
Horschel was born about 90 miles away from PGA National in Brevard County. He has a Florida Gator on his degree. He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach where The Players Championship is his fifth tournament over the five-week period. Horschel became a professional in 2009, and has been playing Honda every year since 2011, with the exception of 2012 & 2021.
His success has been mixed. Horschel finished in the top 10 in both 2016 and 2017, and was 16th last year. This was his second top 20 finish in his last three starts (he was 16th in 2019). He’s missed the cut four other times. Three of them were on his first four attempts at Champion Course.
Yet, being a native tugs at his heart.
He said, “I feel like the courses in Florida are important to me.” It’s not different from the Texas guys; they play the majority Texas events. The majority of California events are played by guys from California.
“And being born and brought up not far from Honda, it’s a place I love, the support from fans there has always been amazing. There are many Gators down there.
Horschel’s gallery offers a Gator Chomp for every pin-high approach.
Horschel, despite his seven victories on the PGA Tour, has never won a trophy in his home country.
He said, “I would like Honda to be first.”
Horschel’s career high point was May 2022, when he won the Memorial Tournament in Dublin. His four-shot win at Nicklaus’ event was enough to send his three children running for their lives, trying to grab a piece from daddy.
Later, Horschel said that it was a moment he will never forget.
He said, “It was the one moment when my family runs out and the kids run out. I want that moment. They can always look back for many decades to come. They can also look back for their entire life of being on the green and congratulating their dad for a win.”
Losing friends to LIV is a’suck’
Horschel is aware of the changes in golf and the turmoil caused by LIV, which has taken many of his peers with it.
He said, “It’s a pain.”
Six of the top 50 golfers at the Honda field last year have joined LIV. Brooks Koepka is close to Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Cameron Smith is also a friend of LIV. The tour is sponsored by Saudi Arabia. One year ago, Poulter, Koepka and Westwood were Honda’s players.
Horschel misses them, but understands that they made their own decisions.
He said, “They made a decision to put their happiness first and that is huge for us all.” We all make the best decisions for our future and ourselves. They don’t look back, and I believe everyone on the Tour has done that with their decisions to stay with the PGA Tour.”
