Need a hand?
Wave down Billy Horschel.
As a kid, he followed the example set by his parents and was quick to help out a friend with his chores or in any time of need. When damaging storms swept through his and nearby neighborhoods, he didn’t hesitate to pick up a broom and help in the cleanup.
On the PGA Tour, he’s quick with an autograph, always strikes a pose for a selfie with a fan, rarely turns down an interview request. And when he won the 2014 FedEx Cup, he gave $1 million of his $10 million bonus to his caddie.
“It’s always been in my DNA to help people out. That’s always been my way,” Horschel said at TPC Sawgrass just four days after the Players Championship – the PGA Tour’s flagship event – was canceled and the season put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation struck Horschel’s heart, for he lives just five minutes from TPC Sawgrass and has been ingrained in this upper northeast Florida community for 10 years. The tournament’s effect is massive, from the $15 million purse for the players, to the millions in economic impact for local businesses and charities. Last year $9.25 million was donated to charities, raising the event’s benevolence to more than $100 million since 1974.
It’s a big hole to fill. So Horschel grabbed a shovel.
Sixteen hours after the Players was canceled the night after the first round was played, Horschel, 33, his wife, Brittany, and their two daughters, Skylar and Colbie, were back at TPC Sawgrass helping load boxes of food onto trucks.
The chow – 2.8 tons – was intended to feed the expected 200,000 fans attending the Players. But the PGA Tour, TPC Sawgrass and the tournament quickly decided to donate the food – about $700,000 worth – to local charities, the largest portion going to Feeding Northeast Florida, which helps put food on the table for those in need in eight surrounding counties.
Horschel and his wife have been involved with Feeding Northeast Florida for six years, or since the time their first daughter was set to come into the world.
“Back then, when we heard that at the time one in seven children in our community were food insecure, that really hit home,” said Horschel, a winner of five PGA Tour titles. “We were fortunate enough to provide food and the means for our child and get her the right nutrition for her to grow. But to think of other children that didn’t have that, that was an eye-opener for us.
We had to do something.
“The local food banks want to make our local community food secure. In years to come, that’s what we want to accomplish. And we want to make sure the community is food secure for many years to come.”
Since 2015, Horschel and his #DriveOutHunger campaign during the Players has raised more than $115,000 for Feed Northeast Florida. And the annual Billy Horschel Junior Invitational has raised more than $135,000 for the organization.
“It’s been incredibly gratifying to see Billy grow into a leader here in the greater Jacksonville community,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said. “What he and his wife, Brittany, have done here with Feeding Northeast Florida and other causes over the last several years is nothing short of staggering, and his support alongside the Players Championship in donating funds and 2.8 tons of food to those in need last week after the cancellation of the event helped lift our spirits at a time, quite frankly, when we needed the inspiration.”
Horschel is far from the lone player to lend a hand. While the PGA Tour has donated more than $3 billion to charities, the players have added hundreds of millions to the charitable largess with their own fundraising.
“It was always something I wanted to do and felt like I needed to do,” Horschel said of his altruistic ways. “Then a few years into my pro career, I knew I’d be in a better position to help out financially and also help out by bringing more exposure to the needs of charities by being in the public eye, to raise awareness.”
Half of the Players’ $15 million purse was distributed to the 144 players in the field – about $52,000 per person. Horschel donated $20,000 to Feed Northeast Florida and the remaining $32,000 to other charities.
In a plea he posted to social media, he urged his Tour brethren to follow suit.
“Everyone is in a different situation than I am. I was just trying to raise awareness about a situation they might not have been thinking about,” Horschel said. “With us not being able to play tournaments, a lot of charities and organizations that rely on the money donated from our tournaments are going to be impacted. Without that money it’s going to be tough.
“Hopefully they do what they feel is right.”
He’s confident they will.
And he’ll do more. On the Monday following what was supposed to be the conclusion of the Players, Horschel had planned to be on a beach in the Bahamas enjoying spring break with his family. Instead, with the trip canceled, he was home trying to wrap his head around the uncertain future.
He has to keep his game sharp. In doing so, he’ll be testing heaps of different clubs after splitting with his longtime manufacturer, PXG. And he’s thinking of ways to raise money for charities. He might raffle off items from his PGA Tour days. He’ll look into live streaming events with his colleagues.
Basically, anything to raise money.
“There are so many different things we can do,” Horschel said. “And we will do.” Gwk
This story originally appeared in Issue 2 – 2020 of Golfweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.