PGA Tour: Billy Horschel sets record straight after PGA National setup grumbles

Billy Horschel says the PGA Tour need to make sure they are in "full control" over how all courses they visit are setup in the future. 

The North American circuit began their Florida swing this week at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at PGA National. 

In the past, the Tom Fazio-designed layout has been known as one of the more challenging on the PGA Tour. 

But several PGA Tour members, fans and pundits believe it has tilted too much in one direction given the low scores that have been attributed overseeding. 

Horschel wrote on X that the owners of PGA National and not the PGA Tour are responsible. 

The American golfer explained that the Tour tried to convince the owners to cutback on the overseed. 

After his first round, Horschel elaborated after he called for the PGA Tour have "complete control" of the set up of all courses. 

"I talked about it last year," he said. "This is a really good golf course. It's a very fair golf course. When it blows hard, it's a challenge, and when it's sort of benign like it is today, it's gettable.

"A few years ago the rough was longer and then they started cutting it down and then they overseeded the golf course. 

"Listen, I think the Tour gets a bad rap, and it's not anything against the owners of PGA National. I understand where they would want to overseed. 

"People want it to look pretty on TV, and if it looks pretty on TV, maybe people will want to come play it. 

"But at the end of the day, as I've said for many years on the PGA Tour, towards our rules officials and towards the execs at the PGA Tour, I understand we are using a golf course that we don't own a lot of times, and sometimes we're at the discretion of what the owner wants to do. 

"Obviously we give our opinion of what we think is best for the golf course and how they want to set it up and challenge it, but also, the owners have a say in it. 

"This isn't just PGA National. It goes to a lot of courses that we play throughout the years.

"That's just my comments. It's nothing against the owners of PGA National. They've done a great job of hosting this event. 

"Obviously it's changed hands many times over the last decade, but they do a great job of putting on a good event."

What have other players said?

Shane Lowry said in his pre-tournament news conference the course was going to play "easier than I prefer". 

"It's going to look great on TV, lovely and green," he said. 

"But I probably would like to see a bit more of the old traditional setup. I like that the rough is a bit thicker this year.

Brooks Koepka said: "I definitely think they (scores) will be lower just because of the overseed. 

"I think you saw last year with Jake, those scores are definitely possible. Not saying anybody is going to do it this year. They very well could, but it's definitely gotten easier."