TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 4, 2021

Billy Horschel

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. For Ryder Cup, would you like a one-week qualifier?

BILLY HORSCHEL: It's funny, I don't worry about it, honestly. I have never focused on the points. I've never looked at the points at any point in the year. I've learned a long time ago that when I'm focusing on something I can't control, it's a detriment to me.

So the thing I can control is how well I play and how well I prepare and work hard and everything. I know there's a couple players, and I talked to a player this morning, who was, you know -- he was thinking about The Ryder Cup, and it was sort of affecting him a little bit. I just said, you know, you can only control what you can control.

At the end of the day, you know, I won't talk about whether this is true or not, this is the way I look at it: God has a path for us, and He is -- it is what it is. He is going to lead us down what He thinks is the best way. And if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I never fret about it at all.

Q. How many times have you had to go through this to learn that?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I mean, I've never really -- I think when you've been in my position where I've never been inside the points, you know, towards the end of the season, whether it be a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup and it just comes down to you have to play well and that's all you can control. Maybe it's a different story if that was -- this year, if I was like fifth or sixth in the points and I want that automatic spot because who knows if I'm going to get picked. I've never made a Ryder Cup Team. Whether they look for experience or not, it's a different scenario. Every captain is different and every team is different.

For me, knowing I've always been on the outside looking in, I've never had a foot in or two feet in towards the end of the year, whether it be Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup Team. Maybe it's been easier for me that way.

Q. Looking back to 2014, what do you remember about the night before you had like a real chance to win? It was 10 million back then. But what was that like? When did it start to hit you?

BILLY HORSCHEL: It's weird because I was thankful that the Florida Gator football game got postponed due to weather. At that point in my career and my life, I only slept maybe four or five hours at a time at night, so I really wanted to make sure I could sleep seven or eight.

Thankfully the game got postponed, and our delay, didn't wind up playing that night until 12 or 1 in the morning. Slept good and I woke up, and as I said before, there was an eerie feeling, just a sense of calm over me. I knew I was playing for a lot of money. I knew I was playing for the biggest win of my career at that point.

And I was going against Rory McIlroy, who was the No. 1 player in the world at that time, playing unbelievably well. But it was a sense of calm and relaxation. My stats guy, we were walking from the putting green to the range to hit balls, and he just talked to me trying to see where I was mentally and see if he could say a few encouraging words. I looked at him and said, You know what? It's fine, man. Whether I play well or not, it's going to be fine. Like we're in a good spot in my career at that age, and I think that -- I don't know why I've had that sense over me, it's been few and far between, but it allowed me to play relaxed and have a good start.

Q. It's a season-long race versus one tournament, but among players, where does winning the FedExCup rank among the majors, PLAYERS? It's a pretty big accomplishment?

BILLY HORSCHEL: It is. I think if you were to ask that question probably three or four years into the FedExCup, I don't think it would have been very high; but I think now when you look at the guys who have won it and how prestigious it is.

It is a season-long race. Majority of times the guys that have won the FedExCup have played the best that year or been one of the top five players that year. My case is a little bit different.

But I think it means a lot to us now, especially talking to, you know, guys like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Spieth, what it means to them. Obviously I've seen the Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm comments, and that's about the format, but not sure how they feel about it in the sense of career accomplishments. But I think it's a very big career accomplishment.

It's going to be around for another decade. So when you look at it, this thing is going to be around for almost 20-plus years from the beginning. And hopefully it's not going to go away when the FedEx contract is done. But I hope not. I think FedEx loves it.

So I think this is going to be their -- if you have got the majors, THE PLAYERS, I think it's right there with the WGC, right there with the majors and PLAYERS, in my opinion, and I think that's the way the majority of the guys feel. It's not about the money. It's more about the prestige of playing a great season. And now with one less Playoff event, it means a lot more, and I think the guys that play a consistent season are rewarded for that.

Q. Seems like you would be excited to play a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and you seem remarkably calm about the whole thing. How do you do that, after it's something that you've said that you want so much?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I think the reason I can be so calm about it is because I know how hard I work at this game and I know what I put into this game and I know how much this game means to me and how much I love it. I mean, I've still got hopefully another 10 to 15 years left to play.

But I think maybe right now at this stage, I still feel like there's still a lot of really great golf in my career, and I feel like there's chances for me to make Ryder Cup Team and Presidents Cup team in the future.

Now, if we look 15 years in time and say I didn't make a team, yeah, it's a disappointment, but at the end of the day, I can't be too disappointed because I did everything I could to make the team and worked hard.

Yeah, that's tough. I don't know why I'm so calm about it. I know other guys fret about it and worry about it and stress about it. I mean, for me, I don't -- I don't know why I'm different than that. I don't know why I'm not some -- I'm not sure why I don't stress more about it and other things I stress about in my life.

Q. You've seen that, other players this week worried about it?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I mean, I've talked to a couple players that are worried about it. I've talked to a couple players that it's been on their mind. You know, maybe, like I said, maybe they are ahead of me in the sense of where they think they are going to get picked or they have a better opportunity to get picked. And like I said, I think I'm a little bit more outside-in.

As I said yesterday, I think at the beginning of the week, I think I wouldn't have got picked. I knew I had to play well this week. But if I didn't play well, I mean, I'm going to go play Wentworth next week. I mean, I'm not going to go home and just stay in my room and cry about not making a team.

But now, now I think I've got an opportunity. At least my name is going to be mentioned, possibly, at worst, for how I played the last few days. Does that mean I'll get picked? I don't know. At the end of the day, I can only go play good golf, and hopefully maybe they see something that I can bring to the team or match up, pair up with somebody.

I think the six and six, actually, if I was captain, I would want that every time for the fact that you can really pair players up a lot easier. You can figure out three or four guys with each of the six automatic qualifiers who would pair up well and figure out the personalities and who they would like to play with, and then you discuss that as a team who you think should be picked for the six players.

Q. When is the last time you talked to Steve?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Wednesday. Wednesday on the range. I don't text him. I don't -- I've never -- I've never in my career called a captain and lobbied for me to get picked or talked about how I'm playing or what I think about my game. That's never been me. Anything in life, I've never sort of, you know, boasted about anything I've done in my career or off the golf course or what I do, charity work or anything like that.

So I just let it go, and if he wants to have a conversation with me, then you know, I'm always available. But I think -- I think every captain that has been a captain over the last decade or at least when I've had a chance to make the team, they know how bad I want to make a team. They know where I stand. They know me enough as a person and competitor and how I treat people and how, you know, I can be -- how I think I can be a really good guy in the team room.

But at the end of the day it comes down to playing good above and being able to add value to the team in that way.