Billy Horschel continues to criss-cross the globe to play in DP World Tour events, even though he does not have to. He explained why.
You rarely see Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, or other American Ryder Cup stars tee it up in marquee DP World Tour events.
But you always see Billy Horschel play in them. He loves supporting the DP World Tour. Look no further than his dramatic playoff victory over Rory McIlroy at Wentworth this past September. Horschel’s long eagle putt on the second playoff hole handed McIlroy another dramatic defeat. It also shot Horschel up the Race to Dubai standings, which explains why he is in this week’s DP World Tour Championship field in the Middle East.
“I love this tour. I think the world of this tour. But at the same time, I don’t support this tour 20-plus events out of the year,” Horschel said Tuesday.
“Obviously, the PGA Tour is where I play mostly, but I want to make sure that these guys understand how special [the DP World Tour] is, how special I think it is, and what I think of them as golfers. I think they are really great players out here. I think it’s honestly—and quality and talent-wise—the second-best tour in the world, and you see it on a regular basis. And the more I come over here, the more impressed I am by how these guys play on TV. I always have been, but seeing it in person gives you a better perspective of the players.”
Formerly known as the European Tour, the DP World Tour is now a de facto feeder tour to the PGA Tour, something Colin Montgomerie, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, and other European greats would have scoffed at in the 1990s. The top 10 players in the DP World Tour rankings now receive invites to play the PGA Tour the following season, proof that the European circuit does not adequately compare to its American counterpart. But Tiger Woods changed the economic fortune of the PGA Tour at the turn of the century. Corporate America also invested more capital, thus skyrocketing the tour to new heights. The European Tour was left scrambling, which explains why a Dubai-based logistics company has since taken over the naming rights.
Even then, Horschel believes that playing on the DP World Tour has made him a better player and improved his worldview, something you undoubtedly receive when traversing every corner of the globe to play golf.
“I’ve become a lot better of a person, I guarantee you that, by having to understand different cultures,” Horschel said.
“It’s made me a better person all around, as well as in my golf game. That’s why I think it’s better for people to travel. You grow as a person, and it does help your golf game, but I think the biggest thing is you do grow as a person.”
Horschel then explained how many American pros decide to take the fall off, opting to rest and recuperate in the States instead of playing marquee European events at Wentworth or Royal County Down. Yet Horschel is different, and that difference of opinion stems from his college coach at the University of Florida, Buddy Alexander, who urged him to go international.
“My college coach said if you want to be a world-class player, global player, you’ve got to travel around the world and play well, and you’ve got to win events to consider yourself a world-class player,” Horschel said.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
“I don’t fault the guys in America. That’s the decision they made, but listen, when the Tour started doing financially a lot better than the DP World, or European Tour at the time, 20 years ago, it changed the ways that guys don’t have to travel, and guys are very much American-centric.”
Horschel, at 37 years old, is a few years older than the likes of Scheffler, Schauffele, and Morikawa. The circuit formerly known as the European Tour looked much different to Horschel when he grew up as opposed to the younger American stars when they came of age.
Horschel, meanwhile, grew infatuated with the European Tour at a young age and always dreamt of playing in their events someday. He also has a strong allegiance to West Ham United and English Premier League Soccer, something anyone can see on his golf bag, which has the West Ham logo attached. He loves spending time in the greater London area, too.
Yet, he knows everyone feels differently, so he refuses to criticize other American players for not traversing the world as often as he does.
“I think when you think about the game of golf, giving back and traveling around the world where people can watch and you see you, take pictures with you, sign autographs, that’s one way to sort of give back to the game of golf. And I think they would grow as people, too, by traveling more around the world and experiencing more cultures and experiencing different languages and everything,” Horschel explained.
“Listen, I always encourage guys to travel and always encourage guys to come over and play, even if it’s a couple of events out of the year. At the end of the day, it’s their decision, and they do what’s best for them, and that’s their choice. You can’t fault them for the decision they make.”
But you have to commend Horschel for his decision-making and his worldview. It’s impressive, and maybe the sport would not be as splintered as it is today if more players shared a similar perspective.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
