ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 2, 2024

Billy Horschel

Quick Quotes

Q. Go back two Sundays, you're over that beautiful put, what's going through your mind?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I've seen that putt so many times over the years. I see a lot of guys miss it to the right and so I read it and right away, I see the line. I see it about left center and I'm looking at it and I come back and I'm thinking about playing it, my last thought was maybe give it a little bit more break on the right-to-left. Because I didn't want it to break too much left before it broke back right and I said no, I'm going to play left center because if it hangs out left because I played it right-to-left, then I'm going to miss it on the left-hand side because I've seen so many people miss it on the right.

I knew when I hit it, I started on my line and where I wart wanted. Felt like I hit it a little bit to hard and was worried it may not break at the end but when I looked up, I knew it had perfect speed and when it went in, it was just a mundane reaction, I would say, compared to what everyone expected. As I was looking over the putt, I thought, if I make this, what kind of reaction do I do? Do I give it a Tiger-esque reaction or do I do a little more respectful reaction because of Rory and because of the moment and everything, and I felt the respectful thing was the way to go.

So yeah, I just felt like throw the arms up in the air, give it a big old smile and just saw Rory and walked over to him.

Q. That's what you work for, over your career, but those moments is what you work for and you want to be given that opportunity, don't you?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Correct. We all work very hard and we don't get enough of those moments. When you get those opportunities you have to take advantage of it. As I've said many times, and I'll do it against Rory McIlroy, the best player in my generation. So to go head-to-head and come out victorious, all those hours and hard work, everything put into the game of golf, myself and everyone else around me is truly a meaningful moment and something that right now in my career I've had some pretty special wins but that's one of the most special wins, the way I've won it, is pretty incredible.

I think Rory is one of the best guys, no doubt about it.

Q. This love affair with Wentworth, the fans, they have embraced you. How much does that mean to you?

BILLY HORSCHEL: It means the world to me. As much as we can sometimes want to, we care about other people's opinions, and there's obviously certain people's opinions can be in a negative light and then we get to the mode of, well, we're not going to worry about what people around us don't think. So then you embrace when people -- you want to feel loved. You always want to feel loved and they have shown me that from day one and I've been very appreciative. I'm thankful for it. They treat me as one of their own. I show them the respect and how much I'm appreciative of it, and I think that's one of the other reasons why I've done so well at Wentworth in my five times there now.

Q. So this week is links golf. Back in July, you did quite well on links golf, didn't you?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Not too bad. I've always enjoyed links golf. I've always enjoyed the natural imagination and the way the game can be played differently every day based off the conditions and based off the golf course. I may not have had success early in my career and I've understood how to play and I've enjoyed the challenge that links golf brings.

So I've just enjoyed it, and the more I've come over here to play, the more I want to play more links-style course. I told people, if I had to play any course the rest of my career, it would be a links-style golf course, just because of the variety of shots and the way everything can be different on a day-to-day basis, that's what I would want to do. I wouldn't want to play -- I'll say boring, mundane golf. I'll just hit it here, it stops, hit it there, it stops. I want to play along the ground and I want to play different shots and imaginations.

Q. This is different, though, because you've got three links courses to deal with. Is there an easier or harder golf course or do you just apply the same process every time?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I think being my fourth time here now, I think I have played the courses enough. I just go out there and play now. It's not really learning or anything. I understand the shots I have to play. I understand what I need to do to prepare. So really it's more or less just enjoy. Enjoy the courses and enjoy the golf. Enjoy the beautiful weather we get when we get it.

Yeah, I don't over prepare, and my preparation for this is different -- for this week, it's different than the majority of my weeks and the way I do things. I don't do my normal preparation a lot of times. I come over here and enjoy and know that you don't have to be perfect on links-style golf courses to play well.

Q. Come Sunday afternoon, there's a lovely bridge there, a beautiful trophy.

BILLY HORSCHEL: It is a beautiful trophy.

Q. What would it mean to be holding that trophy on Sunday afternoon?

BILLY HORSCHEL: To win any tournament here at the Home of Golf is special. To sit on that bridge with the trophy is something that I've never imagined, honestly, to tell you the truth. It would be a moment that I'll remember for the rest of my life because there's not many opportunities you get to play the Home of Golf, the Old Course, and there's not many opportunities you get a chance to win a trophy and say you've won at the Old Course.

So yeah, that would be pretty special.