Horschel: A lot of LIV players are liars, hypocrites
Billy Horschel is done holding his tongue after a recent spate of statements from LIV Golf players.
"There's a lot of guys that are hypocrites, that aren't telling the truth, that are lying about some things. ... I can't stand to sit here anymore and be diplomatic about it, as I have been in the past," he told reporters, according to Sky Sports News.
Horschel, who won the Memorial Tournament in June, has been relatively quiet until now regarding Greg Norman's Saudi-backed LIV Series that pried players such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau from the PGA TOUR.
"I don't fault anyone for going to play the LIV tour, I don't have any ill will for anyone going to play the LIV tour," he said. "I have ill will towards the comments that they've made. Comments saying that Jay Monahan doesn't listen to the PGA TOUR, that the PGA TOUR doesn't listen to us."
During a press conference ahead of the second LIV Invitational Series, Patrick Reed claimed the PGA TOUR could've potentially stopped him from leaving if it chose to "listen to the players for once," according to ASAP Sports.
Pat Perez, also at the conference, said Monahan "shut it out from the start" and agreed that things may have turned out differently had Monahan listened to those who were interested.
On Tuesday, Horschel touched on the notion that the TOUR commissioner doesn't take note of players' thoughts and feelings.
"To say that they don't listen is a complete farce. It really is," said Horschel. "If they listened to everything 200 plus players on the PGA TOUR said, our tour would be a complete mess. We wouldn't even have a tour."
Both Reed and Perez admitted in June that being away from family was key a factor in their decisions to leave for LIV.
"It's not only just schedule-wise but being the guy who's played 30-to-35 events my entire career and basically living through FaceTime watching my kids grow up. I want to spend more time with my children," Reed said.
Perez echoed that sentiment, revealing he missed his son's birth in order to play the first FedEx Cup playoff event.
Horschel isn't buying any of it.
"It's ridiculous to hear some of these comments some of these guys made, saying, 'Well, you know, this allows me to play less tournaments. I've played 30-35 weeks a year,'" Horschel said. "No one's forced you to play that many events."
"No one's made you play that first playoff event to miss family obligations. No one has," he added.
For the 2020-21 season, Horschel played in 25 events on the TOUR schedule. He finished No. 9 on the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the playoffs that year.
The seven-time TOUR winner is set to play the Scottish Open this week, which is making its debut as a co-sanctioned event between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour.