Billy Horschel felt misunderstood. Now? He feels free—and hungry

SCENE: Talking Tour life (and TGL) outside the Lodge at Torrey Pines just after a practice round at 2026 Farmers..

This interview was first entered GOLF Magazine. Horschel is not in the field for this week’s players but finished T13 at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, his best result so far in 2026.

Dylan Dethier: You’re back and healthy and playing your 17th PGA Tour season. At least I do think you are fine. How do you feel when you start the year?

Billy Horschel: I feel amazing. I mean, I got my college card when I was 22; I have been thinking about that knowing that I will turn 40 this year. I don’t feel like I’m 39, but when I look at these kids coming out now who are under 30 – even Scottie [Scheffler]he’s been around for a long time but he’s 29 — it’s amazing to compete. I’d say when I came out here the average age was 34, 35, and I’d say there were 30 or 40 guys in their 40s still competing at a high level. Now there are maybe 15 of those guys? But I still love you. I still have the fire and drive to be great. And, of course, there is one part of the PGA Tour, I do it over and over again, the daily routine of preparation, but what I want to do is go play and compete.

DD: Do you remember what inspired you when you first came out? And is that different from what motivates you now?

BH: Obviously, when you’re first on the PGA Tour, you want to show that you’ve got the game to own it, compete, win. But the goal has always been to put my name on my lips next to the guys I’ve looked up to, from Tiger to Phil to Ernie to Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Jack, Arnie – all these guys. That’s still the same. Obviously I’ve proven myself to be a good player at this point, but there’s a dead end at some point, and you want to make sure you’re meeting the goals you set when you first get out here.

DD: Outside, though, the end of that road doesn’t seem to be near. Some of your biggest moments have come in recent years: winning the Memorial, winning the BMW PGA twice, playing in the Presidents Cup, competing in majors. What’s next?

BH: Listen, I still don’t think I’m even close to perfecting my skills. There is a lot left in the candle. Unfortunately, when I had a good season recently I didn’t carry that momentum forward into the next one. In 2022, I played really well, I won the Memorial, I made the President’s Cup team, I went into 2023 feeling really good – after that I didn’t play well. Then in 2024 I got the mechanicals fixed, I changed it better and I won twice – Puntacana and the BMW PGA at Wentworth – and I was back in the Tour Championship. Going into 2025 I was thinking, Hey, this is the year I finally hit the majors. But I started slowly, and when I felt like I was starting to turn the corner, the hip injury. [Horschel missed several months.] So it’s been a start, stop, start, stop. But I still believe. There’s still a lot I want to do. I am not in the top 10 in the world; the highest I got was 11. I can still get there; I can get to the top five. Look, I would like to say that I can be No. 1, although honestly thinking about trying to fire Scottie would be foolish. But I want a level of consistency that time has not shown. That’s what I’m missing and what I’m chasing – that consistent and high-quality play for the next two, three, four years, and then I’ll accomplish everything I want.

DD: Did you have any childhood sports heroes?

BH: There was Michael Jordan, and I was a big baseball guy – Ken Griffey, Chipper Jones, I loved those guys. In golf it was Tiger, Freddie, Norman. Payne Stewart was there because of her fashion and because she didn’t care what people thought. I always loved reading about those guys – their thinking and their ideas, how they got better. I learned a lot from my parents, I think. They didn’t have one-line advice, but they were good at showing, like, how to treat people, how to go about things.

DD: What’s going on now? Maybe heroes isn’t the right word, but is there someone you’ve spent time with that you love working with?

BH: Justin Rose comes to mind. Rosie has turned all the stones into bigger ones, and has been reprimanded for doing so. After winning the [2013] The US Open, I really studied him, I paid attention to the things he was doing, and it gave me more belief. Seeing that he stuck to his process and how many good things came out of it, that has helped me to stick to my plan, knowing that if I continue to be disciplined day by day, great things will come.

DD: You’ve been one of the stars of TGL, and it’s clear from watching how much you enjoy it. He’s a wild man out there. What was it like to show a different side of your personality?

BH: Guys, TGL has been great. Like I said, I love the PGA Tour and everything we have here. But it’s a bit Groundhog Day. And to have TGL, which you never thought you could be a part of – a different format, a high-tech simulation league, playing with your friends and teammates who are incredible players? It’s like reviving you. It energizes and taps into that feeling from childhood when you wanted to go golfing. “Hello, father, take me to play.” It’s just like going to TGL.

But my wife said it last year at the game: The way you see me on TGL is who I am most of the time. Look, I think I’m a little misunderstood. I’m not afraid to admit that. On the PGA Tour, I’m very focused, very focused and very driven because this is something I want to be very good at. That focus is a strength, but people can see how I react to things in the course and think I’m sad or, like, I’m not enjoying my life here or something. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m enjoying the hell out of this. That if I don’t play at the level that I expect from myself, if I look at the time I put in, I just feel bad, that just comes out in a way that turns people off.

DD: That’s interesting and, I would imagine, challenging. Was there a moment when you first remember thinking, Jeez, my vision is so different from how I see myself?

BH: I think about the world [2015] The US Open at Chambers Bay, where I commented on the state of the greens. I remember it was the first week Fox took the US Open, and they kept saying, “No, the greens are great! These guys are missing by three and four feet because of the pressure.” I thought that was wrong, so I said something. See, it was God’s honest truth: Vegetables were no contest. I played good golf, I finished top 25, but I was frustrated that the putts I was hitting were not true. I think people look at me and say, “You’re a crybaby, you’re shining.” And I’m like, that’s not me. But early in my career I let it affect me when public opinion was against me. I would be on Twitter trying to defend myself. It took a while to realize that it was just a loss. So I don’t do that much anymore. I let people say what they want, and people who know me know what kind of person I am.

DD: As a Seattle resident, I am legally obligated to tell you that the greens in Chambers Bay are the best.

BH: I heard that! See, what people forget is that I’m excited about the course, how great it is – the ideas, the drama. But it is clear that things are thrown. That’s right.

DD: Is there any satisfaction, that the fans like to watch you release on TGL?

BH: Listen, it’s human nature — it’s nice that people see me for who I am. But I don’t mind being, like, “I told you so!” However, when I talk to children, I tell them to be aware of how they see someone outside or on TV; they may be different in real life. I have known Vijay Singh, for example. I live in Ponte Vedra [Fla., near Singh] and be great to me. He is a better person than people give him credit for. Are you a media junkie? No. But sometimes the perception is not really true. I think it goes both ways, though. Some people think, Oh, this guy is a good guy. Then they know him and see the opposite.

DD: Oh, tell me some of those words!

BH: [Laughing] Maybe another time.

DD: There are big changes coming with the Tour [new CEO] Brian Rolapp and the Future Competition Committee are looking at the program going forward. As someone who has been out here for a while, what excites you – or does it scare you?

BH: There’s a lot to offer here, but I’m happy. Maybe I didn’t say it publicly after what happened in Chambers Bay, but I’ve been talking to the leadership for ten years saying that the Tour needs to improve. Our big sponsors will want the best players and the best value for their money, and that will mean change. We cannot keep doing the same thing for 60 years and more. Some of these ideas – trimming events and rethinking the program – have been around for a long time. Now is the time to use them. Brian and his staff deserve credit. They are working hard to create a schedule that will be more financially beneficial for the players, more exciting for the fans — it will improve the Tour and help it stand up to any competition now or in the future. Living in Ponte Vedra, I see how hard people work behind the Tour, so I have a lot of love for it.