'I Absolutely Despised Him' - McIlroy Jokes About His Least Favourite Opponent

A smiling Rory McIlroy revealed the player he hated the most playing match play against

Rory McIlroy
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

It was a question Rory McIlroy couldn't help but laugh at as he was asked to pick between two of his most heated match play opponents during his career - but it turned out to be an easy answer.

The four-time Major champion was asked by SubPar Podcast host Colt Knost who he'd rather have punched at the time out of the Billy Horschel he played in the 2007 Walker Cup or Patrick Reed from the 2016 Ryder Cup.

They were two of the more infamous matches McIlroy has been involved in down the years, and as the Northern Irishman laughed at the question - his answer was pretty unequivocal.

“Billy Horschel, and that’s saying something,” said a smiling McIlroy on the Golf.com Podcast. “And that is saying something.”

“Ohh, I absolutely despised him,” McIlroy added. “We’ve actually become really close since, which is great. 

"But, Billy in that ’07 - we were all probably obnoxious at the time, but I think because I was at home as well and he was pretty rude to the crowd at times too and they are my people. 

"It was like, ‘I’m going to beat his ass.’ But we actually have forged a really good friendship since. Billy’s a good dude. I like him a lot.”

Billy Horschel at the 2007 Walker Cup

Billy Horschel at the 2007 Walker Cup with a grumpy-looking McIlroy watching on

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Although almost everyone saw McIlroy's stellar match with Reed at the 2016 Ryder Cup, there was even more venom in his meetings with Horschel - as Knost knows full well having also been on that 2007 American Walker Cup team.

Played at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, an 18-year-old McIlroy and 20-year-old Horschel faced off in three of the four matches.

Familiarity obviously bred contempt in that situation, with Horschel doing his best winding up job in front of McIlroy's home fans as the American team won by a point.

Even Horschel, who has acknowledged he is an emotional player, admitted that he was maybe not the best opponent in his younger years.

He reacted to McIlroy's answer in typical self-deprecating fashion on social media, saying: "Rory told me about this last week @IrishOpen when we played together. 

"My response… I probably would have punched myself as well."

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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