Revenge Game
Billy Horschel reveals the hilarious motivation behind his incredible TGL Finals performance
Brennan Asplen/TGL
Billy Horschel is the rare breed of golfer that plays with a chip on their shoulder. We commonly see this in contact sports—where GOATs like Michael Jordan and Tom Brady weaponized their thin skin to potent effect—but less so in golf, a sport that places an emphasis on composure above all else. Like Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka, however, Horschel is a competitive maniac. He runs hot. He’s at his best when he’s backed into a corner by something or someone … like Kyle Porter.
After Atlanta Drive GC’s narrow victory over New York Golf Club in match 1 of the TGL Finals on Monday, Horschel revealed the motivation behind his surprisingly strong perforamnce throughout the season. It wasn’t to support his teammates or make his kids proud (though there’s probably some of that, to be fair), like so many other athletes might say. It was to prove one golf writer wrong.
“I love going head-to-head with someone. It’s ‘who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the victory?’” Horschel told reporters following Monday’s match. He then paused as Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas shared a knowing a look.
“Then there’s a guy by the name of Kyle Porter, who has picked against me the entire year in the singles portion,” Horschel continued. “Up until last week, I had won every one of them [singles holes] … I’m very well aware of when people are picking against me. I want to prove them wrong. I want to beat the person I’m going against as bad as anyone I’ve ever gone against in that moment.”
Horschel said all of this with a smirk on his face and Thomas kept the mood light by giggling like Jimmy Fallon through an SNL sketch, but the eight-time winner's performance on Monday left little about his seriousness. With Atlanta Drive trailing by two points entering the second hole of singles, Horschel bombed a 321-yard drive to the middle of the fairway, hit his approach to 11-feet and then declared “I’m making it” as JT threw the hammer. Horschel then sunk his birdie putt to the tie the match, and the ATL boys never looked back, running out 6-5 winners.
Now the only question is whether or not Horschel and Atlanta Drive can keep the furnace running hot despite entering Tuesday’s final matches as the favorites to lift the SoFi Cup. Over to you, Kyle …