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Clashes between LIV Golf and the PGA golfers are nothing new. Billy Horschel, the defending champion of the reputed BMW PGA Championship, recently commented about the presence of LIV golfers in the tournament.
The 2022 BMW PGA Championship commenced a day ago (September 6) and Billy Horschel has been paired with Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. The tournament is being held at the Wentworth Club in London.
Billy Horschel comments on LIV golfers taking part in the 2022 BMW PGA Championship
As many as 17 golfers who have taken part in the Saudi-backed league will play in the BMW PGA Championship 2022. This includes Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Abraham Ancer amongst others.
Billy Herschel did not mince his words while talking about these players taking part in the tournament and how they did not belong there. He said:
“Even though Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have been stalwarts for the European Tour, I don't think those guys really should be here. I honestly don't think that the American guys who haven't supported the Tour should be here."
"Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch... you've never played this tournament, you've never supported the DP World Tour. Why are you here?”
Currently, the LIV Golf events do not give players the opportunity to boost their world rankings. Billy Horschel, who is currently ranked 15th as per the World Golf Rankings, did not shy away from addressing how the LIV golfers are chasing world ranking points in the ongoing tournament.
Here’s what Billy Horschel said on the issue:
"My stance on this is that when those guys were trying to figure out whether they were going to go to the LIV Tour or stay with the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, they had to factor in that they knew that world ranking points were going to maybe not come right away or not come in at all."
"You (Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, etc) are here for one reason only and that's to try to get world ranking points because you don't have it”
Billy Horschel also commented on how he weighed in on the pros and cons of LIV Golf and discovered that the PGA Tour and the DPA World Tour are much better options. He explained:
“We (him and his agent) did talk about what if LIV did come to us, what are the pros and cons. And we made a list. There were a lot of cons on that LIV Golf side and very few on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. There's a lot more pros on that side."
The American golfer also stated that some of the LIV golfers previously commented publicly about how they wanted to play 'less golf' but were ultimately 'hypocrites' by taking part in the BMW Championship 2022 tournament. Billy Horschel said:
"It's hypocritical because of what some of these guys have said when they said they wanted to play less golf. It's pretty hypocritical to come over here and play outside LIV when your big thing was to spend more time with family and want to play less golf."
"I wouldn't call Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter hypocrites because they never said they wanted to play less. The guys that have publicly stated they want to play less, those are the hypocrites."
