Billy Horschel is leading The Open after the first three days of action.
The Open fans were outraged on Saturday after Sky Sports mentioned Billy Horschel’s wife’s battle with alcoholism. Horschel was in scintillating form at Royal Troon as he defied the miserable conditions to get round in two under-par.
Horschel ended the first day of action seven strokes off top spot following an opening round of 72 but reduced his deficit on day two with a 68.
And he jumped to the top of the leaderboard on the third day after taking 69 shots to complete the links course, moving to four under-par thru 54.
While spectators and pundits were gushing at the American’s fine performance with the clubs, Sky Sports spoke about the issues with alcohol that his wife Brittany previously faced. And fans on X took aim at the sports channel for their comments.
An angry @Ryceezy hissed: “How f***ing revolting of @SkySportsGolf to start off talking about Billy Horschel by going on about his wife’s past alcohol issues like that. Absolutely no need for that at all. Classless.”
Another fan @jennife03667474 then asked: “Did the Sky Open commentator really have to mention Billy Horschel’s wife’s alcoholism live on TV. Let the woman get on with life and not be labelled on national TV. She is in recovery.”
Brittany Horschel announced her struggles with alcohol back in 2017 following her husband’s victory at The Byron Nelson as she wrote on X: “I write this nervously, sceptically, but also proudly because I have embraced the woman I have become over the past year.
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“One year ago, I began a journey to a healthy me, mentally and physically. I will keep this simple, ‘I am an alcoholic.’ I say that now without shame.”
And Billy then opened up about it on the Sky Sports Golf podcast in 2020 as he explained: “It’s tough, I mean I get emotional every time I talk about it. It was something that my wife was dealing with for a lot longer than I realised.
She’s done so well and is four years sober now. The saying goes one day at a time and she takes it that way. She has learned how to manage her anxiety, her stress levels, has dealt with depression and has been a great advocate for anyone dealing with addiction, especially with women.
“I understand it’s tough because sometimes these people have done stuff to tear away at your trust and their belief in them, but you’ve got to continue to support them and hopefully the light will be there at the end of the tunnel for them to walk towards it.
