Billy Horschel names ‘second best tour in the world’ – and it’s not LIV Golf

Billy Horschel insists the DP World Tour is the “second best tour in the world” – behind only the PGA Tour in terms of “quality and talent.”

Horschel has long been a supporter of the European-based circuit, a rare exception in the elite talent pool of American golfers who still appear reluctant to support events across the Atlantic in the quieter autumnal period.

The 37-year-old defeated Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the BMW PGA Championship for a second time this season, while also missing cuts at the Dunhill Links and Open de France.

Victory at Wentworth in September secured Horschel’s entry in the DP World Tour Championship, the season-ender that takes place this week in Dubai.

• Could LIV merge with the DP World Tour? This pro hopes so

• 7 big names missing from the DP World Tour Championship

And while competition may not be as fierce on Earth Course this week as it is across the PGA Tour’s money-spinning FedEx Cup playoffs, Horschel still holds his second home in great esteem.

“I support this tour, I love this tour,” he said in Tuesday’s press conference. “I think the world of this tour. But at the same time, I don’t support this tour 20-plus events out of the year.

“Obviously the PGA Tour is where I play mostly but I want to make sure that these guys understand how special this tour is, how special I think it is, and then what I think of them as golfers. I think they are really great players out here.

“I think it’s honestly – and quality and talent-wise, I think it’s the second best tour in the world, and you see it on a regular basis. And the more I come over here the more, I’m impressed by the way these guys play on TV, I always have but when you see it in person you get a better perspective of the players.”

Horschel’s views appears to be at odds with Thomas Pieters, the former DP World Tour regular who jumped ship to LIV at the start of the 2023 season.

• Ex-LIV pro misses cut at DP World Tour Q-School

• Three DP World Tour stars claim PGA Tour cards

The Belgian controversially told Gulf News in March that the standard on LIV is “ten times higher” than the DP World Tour. He later defended that claim in an interview with bunkered.co.uk in July.

“I felt like I got a bit of s*** for that,” Thomas argued. “But it kind of shows a little bit now. Out here there’s no place to hide. If you play bad you’re going to finish in the last five. That feels really, really bad.”

Horschel, meanwhile, will continue banging the drum for the best players in America to dust down their passports and play in the biggest DP World Tour events.

“I think when you think about the game of golf, giving back and traveling around the world where people can watch and you see you take pictures with you, sign autographs, that’s one way to sort of give back to the game of golf,” he said.

“And I think they would grow as people, too, by traveling more around the world and experiencing more culture and experiencing different languages and everything.

“I always encourage guys to travel and always encourage guys to come over and play even if it’s a couple events out of the year. At the end of the day, it’s their decision and they do what’s best for them and that’s their choice. You can’t fault them for the decision they make.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.