Two days removed from a final round of 65, which placed him second at the Tour Championship, Billy Horschel was back in Gainesville where he spent his college years. Horschel wasn’t at Mark Bostick Golf Course working on his swing; he was at the football practice fields to deliver a message.
Horschel played golf for Buddy Alexander from 2006-09 and was a four time All-American, including three first team honors. He’s a rabid fan of all things Florida Gators and he was asked to come and speak to the football team as they prepare for a trip to Starkville to take on Mississippi State.
Horschel spoke to the Gators before practice and delivered a message about the importance of just that — practice.
“He was talking about just how you have to come out and practice and practice extremely hard, way harder than it’s going to be in competition,” R.J. Raymond said Tuesday. “He spoke on how his game is different than ours to where he can’t really rely on anybody else to pick him up when he’s down. He said ‘I can’t rely on a quarterback to make a play for me, I’m by myself, but the way I handle that is through my preparation.”
It’s not a new message. It’s something Dan Mullen and every coach, trainer and graduate assistant tells the team each day. Sometimes the same message can sound different when it’s coming from a different mouth and Horschel’s seemed to sink in on Tuesday.
“He told us he talked to LeBron James and Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, some of the best ever. He asked them about their game and he said they told him their preparation and their practice is what really separates them,” said Raymond. “They’re going as hard as they absolutely can to where they can’t go anymore and then they go five more reps. That’s what he said he brought to his game and why he’s one of the best in the world at what he does”
That’s something Dan Mullen has really tried to make a cornerstone of the program. He’s made multiple references to relentless effort and straining. Mullen brings up how he’s always looking to see who the first person down the field is on kickoff and punt coverages because it’s not always the fastest guy on the team but the one who wants it the most and the one who is giving the most of themselves on the field.
Horschel said on Tuesday he’d never been happier to finish second in a golf tournament than he was last week. Unless you avoided any form of technology since Saturday evening you already know that Tiger Woods won the tournament, his first win in over five years. Horschel is one of the best golfers in the world and, even if Florida doesn’t have a lot of golf fans on the football team, his message sank in because they’re all athletes and they respect someone who has reached the top of their sport. Something Horschel certainly has done during his career.
“To me if you don’t pay attention to and listen to the things he says there is something wrong with you,” offensive line coach John Hevesy said. “Somebody who is as successful as he is and does what he does in his profession, he has proved his work ethic and what it takes to be there. You know and you hopefully get something out of what he said.”