‘I despise it’ Billy Horschel fires warning over TV golf coverage

Billy Horschel is concerned that a money-driven narrative of the FedEx Cup on TV risks belittling the fans back home watching it. 

Horschel – the 2014 FedEx Cup champion – has qualified comfortably inside the top-70 for the PGA Tour’s $100million season finale, which begins this week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

But he is worried that TV commentators will test the patience of fans at the lucrative Tour Championship climax at East Lake in a fortnight’s time by repeating the lucrative prize pool that is up for grabs for the world’s best players.

The 37-year-old American has even told the Tour in the past to remind TV crews to stop mentioning the money at stake on the broadcast.

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“I hate talking about the financials of it. I despise it, honestly, to tell you the truth,” Horschel told ‘The Smylie Show’, hosted by former PGA Tour pro Smylie Kaufman.

“For many years now, I’ve told the tour – especially at the Tour Championship – that we need to tell TV to stop talking about how much money the FedEx Cup winner gets because I know people don’t want to know about the millions of dollars they make.

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“They don’t want to be repeatedly told how much money they’re playing for. It makes them feel even smaller.”

Horschel won $10million for his win at East Lake ten years ago, which remains the defining victory of his career. He returned to the winner’s circle at the Corales Puntacana Championship in April and was in contention to win his first major in last month’s Open at Royal Troon.

This year the winner of the FedEx Cup cashes a cheque for $25million, a $7million increase from Victor Hovland’s prize in 2023.

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.