The last putt of the BMW International Open was already an hour and a half ago, the facility had long since been emptied when Billy Horschel stood in front of a group of volunteer tournament staff with a beer bottle in his hand and spoke about the future of his sport. There are “difficult times” in golf, he said, and you have to think about how things can go on. His short speech ended in great applause, Horschel fulfilled last autograph requests, then he headed towards the exit. Stunned tournament staff were left behind.
It is remarkable that the face of the tournament, which the main sponsor had flown to Munich, the fifteenth in the world rankings, gave spontaneous speeches on Sunday evening: other players of his caliber have accepted their entry fee in a friendly manner in recent years, played a little golf, Lederhosen photographed and left again. In other words, others have behaved in a way that seems to be the norm in the golfing world, where headlines are dominated by professionals who join a Saudi Arabian sportswashing tour because they are there with millions in prize money for appearances and victories accept.
The debates about the direction in which European golf will develop in view of the new LIV tour also determined this year’s Eichenried tournament, which prefers to be family-oriented rather than highly political. A statement on Friday that the European DP World Tour would impose sanctions on the renegade players caused divided reactions: some found it unfair, like LIV player Martin Kaymer, who “didn’t understand the criticism”. Others didn’t want to say anything – some took a clear position in favor of the sanctions.
The tournament winner, China’s Li Haotong, can hardly contain his emotions
“With the threat of the LIV Tour,” Horschel also said, “it’s even more important that the relationship between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour grows stronger.” He wants to do his part and come to Europe more often in the coming years, even if it’s not easy because he has to do without tournaments in the USA. During the week, the American spoke openly about the allegations against his sport that money is everything that interests golfers: A few years ago, during a rain break at a tournament, he talked to other players about what the amount of money was at the tournament they would stop playing, Horschel said. He didn’t name his exact amount, but: “I reached it a long time ago and I’m still playing.”
Horschel was 26th in Munich. He will be remembered less for his performance on the pitch and more for his off-field performance. The openness towards the fans, the interest in European golf culture, it all seemed honest and as if there were a counter-movement: Some take off, like the Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who – after winning 43 million in his career alone US dollars in prize money – recently, according to a report, he boasted that he was “finally” getting what he had long earned from the Saudis. The others try to counteract this, like Horschel, who said that he is only interested in winning tournaments – the money is given as a bonus anyway.
The events of the past three weeks since the start of the LIV tour have shown that sport still counts most in golf: golfer Linn Grant was the first female player to win a men’s tournament, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick made it to the US Open fabulous way his first major win. And now the next chapter followed in Eichenried.
China’s Li Haotong could hardly contain his emotions early Sunday night as he won another tournament after four and a half years: jumping around, crying, kneeling on the green of the 18th hole, which he may remember as that spot , where he crowned his comeback with a trophy. He received 333,000 euros in prize money for his victory, he would only have had to finish 13th on the Saudi tour, but then he probably wouldn’t have sobbed into the microphones that “a dream had come true” for him: “Me I never thought in my life that I could hold a trophy in my hands again.”
