Billy Horschel reduced to tears after 84 at Memorial

An emotional Billy Horschel conceded his confidence levels have reached rock bottom as he was reduced to tears after a first round 84 at the Memorial Tournament.

Defending champion Horschel’s nightmare 12-over round leaves him 118th on the leaderboard, behind only Chad Ramey, who posted a 13 on the par-4 ninth in his horror show 88.

Horschel’s brutal card was littered with three double bogeys and six more bogeys on a swelteringly hot opening day at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

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And the former FedEx Cup champion admirably stopped to talk the media after a gruelling afternoon that left him in complete despair with the breakdown of his swing.

“It sucked today,” he said. “Yesterday, sort of thought I didn’t hit it very good in the pro-am and even after the round it wasn’t bad. I mean, on video it looks good. Technically it’s not that far off.

“But I’m not able to hit the cut the way I want. I can’t get the ball to start left the way I want. So then when it comes down to having to be more precise on a course like this, it’s just, it’s tough. Yeah, I mean, I’ll keep working.

“As much as I would love to throw in the towel and not come out tomorrow, that’s just not in me. I’m just not one of those players. There’s plenty of those guys out here on tour that would make an excuse about being injured and everything.

"I'll go out there and give it my all like I always do."

Transparency and raw emotion from defending champion Billy Horschel after an opening round 84. pic.twitter.com/4Cx7r6hmPL

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 2, 2023

“But I’ll show up and I’ll go out there and give it my all like I always do and try and find something, try and play well, and move on. I mean, it’s a day and I’ve had plenty of these days this year. Not this bad, but it’s just a day. We’ll get by it.”

Horschel’s demoralising 84 was the highest opening round shot by a defending champion in the Memorial and, to make matters worse, he was put on the clock along with playing partners Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay.

The nadir of a wretched day perhaps came at 14, where he double hit one shot and ended up with a painful double bogey on the short par-4.

“I’m making a big number on every single hole it seems like,” he admitted. “I’m struggling every hole. Listen, the group in front of us played quick and we got, I was taking a lot of extra shots than what we normally would do. I mean, we got warned at number 13, but we I think we were back in position by number 15 tee.”

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Horschel added: “My confidence is the lowest it’s been in my entire career. I think ever in my entire golf career. So it’s funny, as low as it feels, it feels like I’m not that far off at the same time. Which is insane to see when you see me shoot 84 today.

“It doesn’t, it wouldn’t make sense to a lot of people. But I don’t think I’m that far off. I just need, I need the swing to be a little bit better, I need to do a few more things a little bit better. I just need to see a few more quality golf shots and that’s just what I haven’t had.”

Horschel was applauded by his fellow pros and fans alike on social media for facing his demons head on in the interview.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsey tweeted: “Been there, so tough! Golf is a rollercoaster and it’s the same for pros. Fair play taken the interview.”

Fellow DP World Tour player Eddie Pepperell also spoke candidly on Horschel’s struggles.

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“Fair play to Billy Horschel,” he wrote. “We all know what a difficult game golf can be, not just technically but most importantly psychologically.

“The thing to admire is the want to grind day in day out, despite the despair. I’ve been there.“Despair might sound like a strong word and there’ll be those who say ‘he’s just playing golf’.

But to Billy, like to me, golf is a major part of his life. And we all know what despair feels like in our own lives and careers. So big respect from me @BillyHo_Golf . Keep on keeping on.”

Tennis star Mardy Fish also weighed in with his support, writing: “Golf and tennis are the toughest sports mentally in my humble opinion. No hiding, nothing guaranteed, no timeouts, no teammates to rely on. Keep grindin Billy.”

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.