What was your reaction when Jim Furyk announced his captain’s picks three weeks ago? While the presence of Max Homa and Brian Harman certainly caused the drama, the absence of Billy Horschel, Akshay Bhatia, and Justin Thomas did the same. Yes, Horschel was disappointed as he was not selected. But per his latest revelation, his priorities lie more towards the Ryder Cup.

Recently, Billy Horschel was on the Flushing It Golf podcast. They talked about many things and the discussion of the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup was one of the topics. The 8x PGA Tour winner was asked how important he considers the Ryder Cup compared to the Presidents Cup. “I care about the Presidents Cup. It is a great competition, and you are always honored to represent your country,” said Horschel. However, the Ryder Cup holds more importance to him as he expressed his thoughts with nine words, saying, “One I have always cared about is the Ryder Cup.”

Horschel talked about his snub saying, “He (Furyk) gave me a call; he said I played hard, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t expect to make this team; I knew I was way down the list; I know I made a little push at the end, but listen, it hurts because Jim is a good friend,” as revealed on the Mirror website.

Billy Horschel was part of the American squad in the 2022 Presidents Cup, and he has yet to play any Ryder Cup and is prioritizing that. Talking about it, Horschel further added, “I wanted to make the Ryder Cup team in 2018, and I wanted to make this Presidents Cup team because he was the captain. It’s just not on the cards for me this year, but I’m going to play really hard next year and be apart of the Ryder Cup and Keegan’s team next year.” 

Horschel and Furyk are good friends, and many expected him to pick Horschel over Max Homa and Brian Harman, as he didn’t. The 54-year-old skipper also came under scrutiny for his decision.

Smylie Kaufman and fans on Jim Furyk’s controversial President’s Cup picks

Smylie Kaufman, the former PGA Tour pro, talked about it on his show. Among all 12, the controversial picks were Max Homa and Brian Harman. Kaufman believed that not having Horschel might prove detrimental to the American squad, as he said, “I think they got their work cut out for him.” The analyst further talked about who missed out, saying, “I can make a case for Billy Horschel, I can make a case for Akshay Bhatia, I can make a case for Justin Thomas, and I can make plenty of cases for guys that are on the team that shouldn’t be on the team.”

Interestingly, fans were also furious witnessing these picks and based Jim Furyk with comments like “Absolute joke no Bhatia, bad call Furyk.” The American squad’s captain admitted that it was hard for him to ascertain his picks. Could it be that he chose the players who are best suited to compete on the greens at Royal Montreal GC? Only he knows the answer. After the Presidents Cup, the eyes certainly will be on the 2025 Ryder Cup, and Billy Horschel might go to some lengths to qualify.

What do you think about Billy Horschel’s thoughts on the Ryder Cup? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!