Billy Horschel blames shaggy Players Championship finish on old lady with a camera

Billy Horschel could have had a chance down the stretch at The Players Championship but for an old lady with a camera.

That’s what the 2014 FedEx Cup champion would have you believe, anyway. Horschel blamed a woman taking a photo of him during his takeaway on the 10th tee for a wayward shot that led to the second of three consecutive bogeys and a T13 finish at TPC Sawgrass.

“Go to the back side seeing the lead was 10-under and I thought if I could shoot 4- or 5-under I got a chance. And then, right in my back swing, someone took a picture and ball went left,” Horschel said after posting an even-par 72 in Sunday’s finale and finishing five shots back of co-leaders Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, and Kevin Kisner, at 7-under.

“I went and spoke to the lady. It was an older lady, and it was lucky she was a lady,” said Horschel. “I was very nice to her. If it was a guy, I would have probably, maybe ripped him a new one and I would have taken the fine like a man.”

Horschel said he was disconcerted by the run-in, though he posted back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 before ending his tournament with a par.

“It sort of got me off my rhythm, took me a couple holes to get back into it,” he said. “I took the club back and I was always afraid there was going to be a camera click. I hit the shot in the water [at 11]. Like I said, it was just unfortunate.”

Though perturbed, Horschel said the perpetrator of the camera click was fortunate it was Mother’s Day.

“If it was a gentleman there would have been some bleeps for sure,” said Horschel, who saved his expletive deleteds for congratulating Fowler on his thrilling victory.

“It’s Mother’s Day, I was trying to be nice to her,” Horschel recounted. “There was a lot of people around, I just sort of said, I went up to her and I sort of said, “Ma’am, you know, taking pictures during the round of golf is not allowed. Also, your phone should be on vibrate and silent so if you do take a picture it doesn’t affect me. And with you taking that picture just cost me at least one or two shots now.’

“And I said, ‘thank you, have a great day,’ and I wasn’t very happy,” Horschel concluded. “I held it together, I was very nice, but inside ... Like said if it was a guy, I may have ripped him a new one.”