Billy Horschel on PGA Tour pros moving to LIV Golf: 'I still hold a few grudges, I can't lie...'

BMW PGA champion Billy Horschel 'still holds a few grudges' against PGA Tour players who moved to LIV Golf, but he is ready to look past that and help the pro game unite once again.

Andy Roberts

02 Oct 2024

Billy Horschel admits he 'still holds a few grudges' against some of the world's best players who have defected to LIV Golf, but that he intends to put those ill feelings to one side in a bid to help unify the professional game once again.

There is no better time or place for Horschel, 37, to do just that as he embarks on this week's iconic DP World Tour event at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship staged across St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in Scotland.

Horschel will play Carnoustie on Thursday, Kingsbarns on Friday and then two rounds on the famed Old Course at St Andrews on Saturday and Sunday.

While all eyes are very much drawn to the professional event at the Dunhill Links, which sees Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf's Jon Rahm start as joint tournament favourites, there is the added bonus of watching the Pro-Am format.

Especially this week with Horschel joined by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and LIV Golf's Dean Burmester partnered by Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Newly-promoted DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings is also present at St Andrews.

A total of 14 LIV Golf players are also in the field this week, including five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.

But LIV Golf's Ian Poulter was rejected a sponsor's invite since he still has outstanding sanctions with the DP World Tour.

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There is a great deal of hope in the industry that big progress can be made on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF's 'Framework Agreement' since all parties are present at the 'Home of Golf' this week.

The partnership was proposed in June 2023, and we are still waiting for a final verdict.

It is understood South African businessman Johann Rupert, who runs this week's Dunhill Links, has wanted to get all of golf's bosses around one table and on the fairways together in a bid to help them go some way to unifying the professional game once again.

The sport has been split ever since the emergece of LIV Golf in 2022.

Rupert, who controls luxury goods firm Richemont, is Africa's richest person with a reported net worth of $1.9bn, is said to be a staunch advocate for peace in the elite men's game, according to Rory McIlroy.

Horschel, who won a second BMW PGA title at Wentworth last month, is also ready for peace.

Even if he still holds some resentment.

Scroll down for Horschel's comments...

Billy Horschel wants the pro game to unite

Horschel told reporters on Wednesday:

"Time allows things to dissipate. We've seen that through history.
"I'm sure there's people that still hold grudges and everything.
"Personally I still hold a few grudges, I'm not going to lie.
"But I understand that for things to get better and heal, you have to get past that and move beyond that.
"Personally, I've moved on beyond that, but I know some guys, some players probably still hold grudges, but I think we do need to move beyond that to really come together."

The eight-time PGA Tour winner and 2014 FedEx Cup champion added:

"I do believe that there's been both goodwill on both sides to try to make a deal happen over the last 18 months, year, since the agreement. It may not move as quickly as people want.
"There's a lot of complicated things to figure out and there's a lot of things behind the scenes that the public just don't understand. That they can't comment on."

Horschel also admits the pairing of Monahan and Al-Rumayyan at St Andrews on Saturday has not happened by chance.

One DP World Tour pro has said exactly what golf fans are thinking, too.

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Horschel continued:

"Hopefully, the fans understand by this pairing [Monahan/Al Rumayyan], these groupings that things are moving in the right direction.
"I do believe now looking at the game of golf, which I could never imagine at that point [2022] sitting there and speaking how I spoke, that the divide that we've created in the game of golf would create such a disinterest in the fans.
"And that's really who has sort of been hurt by all this."

Horschel and Monahan will join Burmester and Al-Rumayyan at Carnoustie at 9am on Thursday.

Monahan and Horschel will then be sent out alongside McIlroy and his father Gerry at Kingsbarns at 10.39am on Friday.

They will then join Rupert and LIV Golf's Louis Oosthuizen at St Andrews at 11.12am on Saturday.

McIlroy and his father will join Al-Rumayyan and Burmester in the following fourball at 11.23am.

Check out the full Dunhill Links draw for yourself here.