THE 152ND OPEN

July 21, 2024

Billy Horschel

Mixed Zone

Q. Billy, tremendous fight to the end, no?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah. It's what's in my DNA. I'm going to always fight, always going to battle until the end. I was awarded with three birdies there at the end to finish tied second with a good friend, Justin Rose.

Q. The feeling for today is that you were very close, that you could get it there.

BILLY HORSCHEL: I was. Listen, I started off great, making birdie on the first hole. Hit a wayward shot on No. 3 there to make bogey, but come back with birdies at 4 and 6.

Just missed holing out a bunker shot on No. 5. I've had about six or seven of those this week, bunker shots and chips that just burned the edge.

Then had a good look at 7, and obviously lost momentum at 8 and 10 with those two bogeys when Xander was making a runaway charge and trying to pull away with the golf tournament.

Q. You must have a lot of emotions at the moment. Which is the one that wins out?

BILLY HORSCHEL: I'm disappointed. I should feel disappointed. I had a chance to win a major. I was in a really good position. I just didn't play -- I just made a few too many mistakes today when I didn't need to.

But we'll look back on this in an hour, I'll be very happy with how I played, I'll be very happy with what I did this week. I did a lot of great things that I can take on to the next few years of majors, and hopefully one of these will be my time to step through the door and hold one of them.

Q. Your thoughts on the champion?

BILLY HORSCHEL: He played great. Listen, he's the second best player this year in the world. No one has played better than him in my opinion. He's got two majors. I don't know if he's won anywhere else before the PGA, but he's been up there consistently, having chances to win. Obviously Scottie has got five or six wins and a major, but what Xander has done this year, the consistency he plays with, he's taken his game to another level. He deserves to hold that Claret Jug right now.

Q. Did you have some indecision on 8?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Yeah, well, originally we thought it was like 110, 115. We thought it was a pitching wedge. Then we saw Thriston hit a 54-degree wedge. So we're like, okay, we can hit 52. It was the right club. I just didn't play for the wind as much as I needed to. It flew far enough, did everything I needed it to do. I just didn't factor in how much the wind was out of the left a little bit, so was a little sloppy with that.

Q. What did you make of Thriston today?

BILLY HORSCHEL: He's a really good player. I've watched him for the last couple years. I think two or three years he won three or four times on the DP World Tour. I think he's got five wins out there. He won earlier this year, won a couple months ago. He's got game that can compete at any level. Strikes it well, solid short game, putts it well. Listen, he's a player that he continues to progress and get better. We're going to see more of him, not only on this stage but also on the PGA Tour.

Q. What do you make of Xander and just his demeanor? Is it perfect not only just for golf but links golf, if that makes sense?

BILLY HORSCHEL: Listen, I played with Xander in the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic, the week before Erin Hills. I think I played with him on Saturday or Sunday, he had just qualified for the U.S. Open, and I walked off the golf course after playing 18 holes with him, and I said, this kid is going to be really good. I was really impressed with his game at that time. To see him improve, to see him grind and work hard and do everything the right way and have that attitude of trying to do everything you can to get better day in and day out, he deserves everything that he's gotten this year and what he's going to get in the future.