Billy Horschel says why round three of The Players could be ‘very, very tough’ after experiencing 2023 conditions

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Billy Horschel is among a number of players just off the lead at TPC Sawgrass as The Players head into the final two rounds and he’s suggested things could get tough over the weekend.

Horschel carded a second round 71 to keep in contention and he sits five back of leaders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia.

With winds expected to be tough over the final two rounds, any sort of low score could well be massive heading into Sunday and give whoever does produce the goods a great chance of winning.

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The experienced Horschel has played around the world and with that, has played in some of the harshest conditions around.

However, when quizzed on how things might go over the weekend, Horschel admitted that The Players has thrown him his toughest test in the past.

Billy Horschel comments on the weather at TPC Sawgrass

With the weather expected to make things more difficult, Billy Horschel was speaking to the media and was asked about the toughest conditions he’s ever played in.

And in a worrying sign for the field at Sawgrass, Horschel admitted that the event in 2023 was actually the toughest he’s ever experienced.

“2023. I played, so I teed off, I don’t know if we teed — round one I played like one hole maybe, maybe two holes, and then we came back out the next day and I think we got to 16, something like that. All I know is I remember we stopped on 16 and we knew the next day the weather was going to be bad the entire day,” Horschel said.

“That’s when the first 12 guys that played 17, 11 of them hit them in the water, and I hit 7-iron, and then I hit driver, 3-wood into 18, which I’ve never done in my life. So we played 21 holes in that conditions.

“I actually played really well. I think I shot like 3-under that second round. Easily could have been 5, 6, 7. I just didn’t make anything. If you go back, I think I hit 16 out of 18 greens. Quality round of golf.

“Tomorrow, if it’s anything similar to what we played in 2023, it’s going to be very, very tough.”

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The five highest scores on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass as rough weather conditions predicted

With the weather predicted to be a bit wild over the weekend, all eyes will be on the famous 17th and if the plays can somehow navigate the trouble of going over water onto the island green.

Of course, we could see players make or break their tournaments on that hole and if the wind is up, we could see some big scores.

Over the years, the hole has caught many out, and the highest ever scores on the 17th show how ruthless it can be.

With Horschel among the experienced heads and having played in 2023, he’ll hope that experience helps.

The younger players at the top of the leaderboard, though, could well struggle.