Getty Image / Ross Kinnaird
With just a few short weeks left until the 2023 Ryder Cup outside of Rome stories about Ryder Cups of yesteryear are flying around. And one such story was shared by Rory McIlroy where he called out Billy Horschel as the golfer he hated the most at any time.
What makes it even juicier is that Rory McIlroy told the Subpar podcast that it wasn’t just that he hated Billy Horschel, he hated Billy more at the 2007 Walker Cup than he hated Patrick Reed at the 2016 Ryder Cup, and Reed has at times worn the crown of ‘Most Disliked Golfer‘ but has also passed that crown around with Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson.
Rory told the podcast “And that’s saying something… I absolutely despised him and we’ve actually become really close since, which is great, but I think as well we were all probably obnoxious at the time but I think he was pretty rude to the crowd at times I was like ‘they’re my people’ I was like ‘I’m going to beat his a–.'”
Rory McIlroy vs Billy Horschel Throughout The Years
Looking back at the 2016 Ryder Cup, the match where Patrick Reed really got under Rory’s skin was their Sunday singles match. Patrick Reed emerged victorious over Rory (1 up). It was a cherry on top of the US Team regaining the Ryder Cup from Europe who had won it three times in a row.
At the 2007 Walker Cup, Billy Horschel also emerged victorious (1 up) in his singles match against Rory McIlroy. Horschel and Rickie Fowler also beat Rory and Jonathan Caldwell 2 up with 1 to play in the Sunday morning foursomes. But Rory got the last laugh with a 4 & 2 win over Billy Horschel in the Sunday afternoon singles which still wasn’t enough as the USA beat Britain and Ireland 12.5 to 11.5.
What I’m sensing here is a pattern… When Team USA players are successfully able to get under Rory McIlroy’s skin then Team USA goes on to win, regardless of Rory’s match performance. So we’ll need someone to step up in Rome liek the guy who Shooter McGavin hired to rattle Happy Gilmore.
Billy also pulled one over on Rory in the 2014 TOUR Championship:
Horschel definitely holds the edge in their career rivalry that’s now turned into a friendship.