Up the Irons
British Open 2024: Why does Billy Horschel have a Premier League soccer team logo on his bag?
Kevin C. Cox
TROON, Scotland — Billy Horschel has long embraced golf on “the other side of the pond.” He describes the British Open as one of his favorite tournament, routinely comes over to play in the Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews and he became the first American in 46 years (and just the second with Arnold Palmer) to come over and win the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, outside London in 2021.
Horschel’s connection to the U.K. extends beyond just golf. Over the years, he’s become a big-time Premier League soccer fan, pulling for London-based West Ham United. His affinity is so strong that he even sports the team’s logo on his golf bag from time to time, including this week at Royal Troon.
"Whenever I try to come over here, I try to get the West Ham bag out,” Horschel said earlier this week at Royal Troon. “I love to hear "Up the Hammers" and "Come on you Irons." Listen, I've been very fortunate enough that other supporters of other clubs have been gracious enough to be nice to me, compared to maybe how they would be to a fellow English person who was born a West Ham fan.”
So where did the attraction first come from? According to Golf Monthly, it started all the way back to when Horschel was in college at the University of Florida in the early 2000s. That’s when he watched the British film "Green Street," which chronicled a group of hooligan fans, the lead character being a West Ham supporter. Horschel says from there he started to pay attention to West Ham from afar, and the connection grew stronger over time.
"I'm always watching their matches and any Premier Leagues actually, but I follow them [West Ham] very closely and I'm aware of how they're doing, the transfer window and just a die hard supporter like I am for my Florida Gators."
Billy Horschel is pictured with West Ham United players Declan Rice and Mark Noble at the 2021 BMW PGA Championship.
Andrew Redington
Horschel has played in pro-ams with several West Ham players including club legend Mark Noble and former captain Declan Rice.
Horschel's fandom is very real. After he spoke about his round on Friday with the media, he got into a lengthy discussion about the team's hire of new manager Julen Lopetegui.
"I think Julen is going to do a good job. I'm excited. David Moyes was awesome. He took the club from one spot to another, and I think it's time to pass the torch. I think Julen is going to do a good job, and I think David has got something up his sleeve in the next couple of years. I think the maybe Scottish National job manager is going to be his."
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.
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