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Friendly Banter Takes a Nasty $9 Million Turn as Billy Horschel Gets Savagely ‘Owned’ by LIV Golf Pro; Fans Left Divided

Published 12/23/2023, 3:27 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Billy Horschel needs to clear the air. After Phil Mickelson liked the tweets that claimed Horschel wanted $50 million to join the breakaway side, another veteran LIV Golfer made a similar ‘allegation’. Although Ian Poulter took recourse in his characteristic sarcasm, the $9 million LIV Golf dig didn’t escape netizens’ keen gaze.

This wasn’t the first time the two locked horns, mind you. Allegedly, Poulter and Horschel were engaged in an altercation at last year’s BMW PGA Championship. Horschel took umbrage with LIV Golf players participating in a DP World Tour for the sake of getting OWGR points. This time, a rather benign club head speed tweet reignited the friendly fire.

Ian Poulter caught Billy Horschel red-handed?

One of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf once asked for an outrageous sum to join LIV Golf?! Is that what Ian Poulter seemed to imply when retorted to his American peer’s jab with this? “It’s alright Billy… I’m normally ok with numbers.. So I got it wrong by about $9 Million per MPH difference that you asked for to come join LIV. What’s a few numbers between friends.” wrote the 47-year-old on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Poulter was responding to Horschel’s tweet that the English pro exaggerated his clubhead speed. The LIV Golf Pro earlier claimed that his club head speed is 115MPH, and he carried the ball easily to 290-295 Yards. But Horschel dug up some old data from the PGA Tour to nullify his claims. 

The seven-time PGA Tour winner wrote, “So you are one of those guys that over exaggerate their club head speed.” As per the screenshots shared by Horschel, Poulter’s club head speed was 5mph short, at 110.53 MPH. 

But the LIV Golfer clearly doesn’t want to give too much importance to it as his sharp rebuttal to an old friend shows. Nevertheless, netizens chimed in with their two cents as the friendly banter took a sharp turn in a different direction.

The Internet is divided while some enjoy the show

The to and fro between the two pros garnered a lot of attention. Some took it as a funny exchange, however, some fans took the matter more seriously. They feel the veteran golfer should know his clubhead speed accurately. 

However, some fans think Poulter absolutely roasted Horschel. It was petty of the American golfer to pick a fight over such a trivial issue. That’s what this fan thinks. 

‘A Midlife Crisis’– LIV Golf Defector Ian Poulter Finally Breaks Silence After a Bizarre Discussion Echoes the Internet Leaving Fans Startled

One user outrightly questioned Poulter’s legacy in the golf world. That’s a little harsh considering the Brit had five Ryder Cups and 12 wins on his home circuit to show for himself.

Some of them think Poulter’s tweet is not that funny. At least not the best example of the quintessential British humor that Poulter displayed while replying to Rory McIlroy.

Amid the raging X war, some were just here to enjoy the show. This user seems to want more of this.

Grab your chair and enjoy the show. At least that’s what the underlying message was from LIV Golf Nation. 

We are yet to see Billy Horschel’s reply to these rather ‘grave’ accusations. The 37-year-old admitted that he “poked the bear” and now he “got to be careful.” While he braces himself for the next ‘attack’, what do you think of the next chapter of this back-and-forth? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Parnab Bhattacharya

896Articles

One take at a time

I, Parnab Bhattacharya, am a budding golf writer at EssentiallySports. I am keen on constantly exploring my deep-rooted love for golf through my long-time passion for writing. With a strong knack for storytelling and experience in SEO content writing, I bring a unique blend of fluent writing and technical expertise.
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Edited by:

Tushhita.barua

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