Billy Horschel furious with poor quality of greens at US Open
Last Updated: 22/06/15 6:35am
Billy Horschel could not hide his frustration over the poor quality of the greens at Chambers Bay and admitted he had "lost respect" for US Open officials.
The reigning FedExCup champion launched an angry broadside at the USGA despite firing a three-under 67 in the final round, although that merely got him to four over for the tournament after previous rounds of 72, 72 and 73.
Horschel lost his composure on the sixth green when, after missing a short putt, he swung his putter furiously towards the putting surface in a chopping motion but stopped just shy of removing a divot.
The world number 20 insisted the players were not expecting perfection, but he labelled the fourth green "God awful" and said the hole on the 10th was "literally in dirt."
I think a lot of players, and I'm one of them, have lost some respect for the USGA and this championship this year for the greens
Billy Horschel
"I've been waiting for this moment all week," Horschel joked as he spoke to reporters after a closing 67. "I can be up here for an hour and I'll keep going.
"I've had this debate on Twitter the last couple of days with people and it sounds like the players are whining and they're like, 'Well, you're playing for millions of dollars, you're playing for the US Open championship'.
"And like I said, we're not looking for perfect greens. We're not looking for Memorial's greens or even last week in Memphis. But we're looking for something that's very consistent and this week they're not.
10th hole in dirt
"Four is God awful. Ten is not much better where it was. That hole is in dirt. It's literally dirt. There's no grass around that hole. I understand Jordan (Spieth) is up on the leaderboard and he's making plenty of putts. But I'm a really good putter as well and I have not had a great week on the greens. And it's not due to the fact that my stroke is off or my speed is off, I've hit a lot of really good putts that have bounced all over the world.
"People out there think we complain a lot as players, and we don't. And when we do, I think we really need to be taken seriously on this. I think a lot of players, and I'm one of them, have lost some respect for the USGA and this championship this year for the greens."
Horschel also agreed with complaints from the likes of Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood that the layout of the course made viewing difficult for spectators, with none able to stand alongside the par-five eighth.
"Here we are in the Pacific Northwest, where we haven't been since the late '90s for the PGA Championship, and the viewing is awful," Horschel added. "They tell the fans early in the week, 'well, just sit in the stands and watch golf.'
"When you're not able to get up close and watch championship-calibre players play a golf course, it's disappointing. And I feel like the fans got robbed this week being able to get up close to the players and see the shots we hit and see the course to the degree that we see it.
"To say that they built this golf course for the US Open is awful. And I heard today that Mike Davis (USGA executive director) had input in this golf course, which blows my mind even more that they would build a golf course and not think about the fans and the viewing aspect of it."
