Latest news with #SamHorsfield
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE LIV Golf star Sam Horsfield explains why the R&A made a 'mistake' in disqualifying him from Open Qualifying - as he lifts the lid on how he and his team-mates are giving back to junior golfers
LIV Golf star Sam Horsfield has explained his 'disappointment' over how he was singled out by some online last weekend for withdrawing from Open Championship Final Qualifying. The 28-year-old Majesticks star teed it up at West Lancashire Golf Club in a bid to gain a spot on the entries list at Royal Portrush next week. However, the Manchester-born star was forced to end his round prematurely after playing only nine holes, with Horsfield taking to social media to explain that he had felt 'dizzy' on the course. He was not alone either, with several other players leaving mid-way through their rounds. Horsfield, who was seven-over par at the time he chose to retire, was subsequently disqualified by the R&A. But speaking to Mail Sport, the 28-year-old said the R&A were wrong to disqualify him and clarified what actually happened on the course. 'The R&A made an initial mistake disqualifying me and a number of other players in the four qualifiers. 'I was an NR (no return) and this is very typical in a qualifier,' Horsfield told this masthead. 'It happens and has happened for years.' After the Qualifying event, Horsfield took to Instagram to shed some light on his disqualification, having copped backlash online and on social media. The 28-year-old, who signed for the Majesticks during LIV's inaugural season in 2022, explained that he had been woken up in the middle of the night by a fire alarm in his hotel room and had subsequently slept through his early-morning alarm. He then added that he had been feeling unwell on the course and decided to withdraw from the event, while criticising those online who had lambasted him over the move. 'At 1am the fire alarm went off and we had to go stand outside for an hour or so,' Horsfield wrote on his Instagram story, overlaying his comments on a post on X from NUCLR Golf. 'I eventually got back to sleep around 5:30am for a 6am alarm, which I slept through but fortunately my caddy woke me up. 'I felt completely dizzy and out of it all day. Horsfield added: 'Don't listen to the propaganda out there against LIV players by some of these pages. Hope this clears things up.' Delving deeper into the criticism he has recieved from those online, Horsfield told Mail Sport that the ongoing bashing of LIV players is getting stale. 'It's disappointing that as a LIV player you get singled out by certain publications when I was one of circa 20 players doing the same thing,' he explained. 'I think if you look at the number of fans that came out in force to watch me and a my Majesticks team-mates at the various Q sites across the UK, the fans can see beyond the noise. 'The UK fans are the best in the world and can't wait to see them all turn out in force at the Open and LIV UK later this month.' He added that events this weekend had given him more motivation to push for a spot at the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Horsfield explained how rewarding the scheme has been for both himself and the kids involved It comes as he and his Majesticks team-mates, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrick Stenson, are endeavouring to help get more young people into golf, using their Little Sticks initiative. Among several other projects the group are working on, their Little Sticks programme is aiming to unlock the potential of young golfers around the world, with the community impact programme seeing the players impart key skills on younger players in primary and secondary schools. Little Sticks was first launched back in 2023, and since then, the Majesticks' inspiring initiative has been a huge success. The programme has been launched in schools in the UK and one in the US. Schools receive Little Sticks golf training and educational resources, with the programme focusing on helping to develop key life skills for children in primary and secondary schools. 'Little Sticks has been so incredibly rewarding for the kids,' Horsfield said. 'You see them playing all the games and they don't even know (in the moment) the life skills they are learning, but they are! Resilience and teamwork in abundance!' And it appears the children love the new curriculum with survey results showing that 95 per cent of kids delivered positive results on their ability to learn new skills, 88 per cent were positively impacted in relation to their confidence, and 83 per cent said the sessions had a huge boost on their teamwork and resilience skills. 'These are skills that will last them a lifetime,' Horsfield added on the key takeaways from the event. 'Not just in golf but whatever life has in store for them. 'That's what I love about Little Sticks, we're not trying to find the next Majesticks player, but more importantly (through the game of golf) installing life skills these children will have in abundance for their futures.'
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
LIV Golf player says late flight, fire alarm contributed to his DQ from Open Qualifier
With the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland just two weeks away, the R&A staged four qualifiers, each advancing the top five to the championship. Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire in England, as well as Dundonald Links in Scotland were the host venues. The R&A reported that 288 golfers were spread across the four courses. LIV Golf's Sam Horsfield was one of more than a dozen players from the fledgling circuit who flew back from a LIV event in Dallas and attempted to qualify. Horsfield's shot came at West Lancashire, where five players would receive a berth in the tournament after a grueling 36 holes of play. And while another LIV Golf member, Lucas Herbert, finished with the low score and a spot in the major, Horsfield left the event after just nine holes with a 43 on his scorecard. He also didn't alert anyone to the decision, meaning he was disqualified from the event. How come? On Tuesday, Horsfield took to social media to plead his case, saying in an Instagram story that he was "completely dizzy and out of it all day." Horsfield said a fire alarm forced him out of bed and he slept through an alarm, although he was fortunate that his caddie woke him up. In 2021, the Manchester, England, native made the cut and finished 67th, but he missed the cut in his other two appearances (2022, 2024).
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star speaks out after suddenly being disqualified from Open qualifying
Sam Horsfield was disqualified from an Open Championship qualifying event on Tuesday and the LIV Golf star has since spoken out about his round at the West Lancashire course LIV Golf star Sam Horsfield has reacted after failing to qualify for the Open Championship. The 28-year-old competed in a qualifying event at West Lancashire golf course on Tuesday but was disqualified. The tournament was one of four qualifying events as golfers attempted to secure their place at the major. Horsfield failed to qualify for the Open Championship after walking off the course on seven-over-par after nine holes following three consecutive double-bogeys. However, the LIV golfer was technically disqualified after failing to notify tournament officials. Horsfield has since explained that his travel from the recent LIV Dallas event led to his struggles in qualifying. 'So I flew back home Sunday night and landed into Heathrow at 4pm,' he wrote on Instagram. 'By the time I got up to West Lancs it was [late]. Had a bit of dinner and fell asleep at 10.30/11pm. 'At 1am, the fire alarm went off and we had to go stand outside for an hour or so. I eventually got back to sleep around 5.30am for a 6am alarm, which I slept thru, but fortunately my caddy woke me up…I felt completely dizzy and out of it all day.' Referencing social media reaction to his result, Horsfield added: 'Don't listen to the propaganda out there against LIV players by some of these pages. Hope this clears things up. See you guys in Valderamma next week.' The 28-year-old, who joined the LIV tour in 2022, made his first appearance at the Open last year but will not return this time. However, there will be 19 LIV golfers at Portrush, including three who earned their spots through the qualifying events. Fellow LIV star Lucas Herbert had a different experience to Horsfield at West Lancashire. The Australian topped the leaderboard after carding eight-under to claim one of the five qualifying spots. Dean Burmester was another who clinched a spot at the Open through the qualifying events on Tuesday. The 36-year-old recorded an impressive 10-under at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent, finishing with a four-shot lead. Meanwhile, Lee Westwood will return to the Open for the first time since 2022 after registering seven-under at Dundonald Links. The English golfer twice finished runner-up at the major in 2010 and 2016. Westwood also finished T4 when the Open was last held at Portrush. 'I've always said it's the greatest championship in golf and as a British player you get phenomenal support,' he told reporters. 'I really enjoyed Portrush last time. I finished fourth and played nicely. 'I'm just looking forward to enjoying the week at Portrush. Seeing a few old friends and enjoying that golf course. For me, it's in the top three links courses in the British Isles.' Majesticks GC team-mates Horsfield and Westwood will be in action at LIV Andalucia next Friday. The Open Championship tees off at Portrush on July 17.
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Open Championship: LIV Golfer Left Dizzy, Quits Qualifying
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sam Horsfield was disqualified from the Final Qualifier for The Open Championship played on Tuesday at West Lancashire Golf Club. He only played the first nine of the 36 holes scheduled for the event, and by then had a score of 7-over. The disqualification came about because Horsfield left the course after completing the front nine of the first round without notifying the officials. Although the player did not deny that his decision was related to his poor performance, he did explain that he was not in the best physical condition: "I felt completely dizzy and out of it all day," Horsfield posted on Instagram. Sam Horsfield of England reacts after being defeated by James Nitties of Australia in the semi final during day four of the World Super 6 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club on February 11, 2018 in... Sam Horsfield of England reacts after being defeated by James Nitties of Australia in the semi final during day four of the World Super 6 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club on February 11, 2018 in Perth, Australia. MoreThe reason for his "dizziness" had to do with a bad night's sleep, as he himself explained: "I flew back home Sunday night and landed into [London airport] Heathrow at 4pm. By the time I got up to West Lancs, it was about late. Had a bit of dinner and fell asleep at 10:30/11," he said. "At 1AM the fire alarm went off and we had to go stand outside for an hour or so. I eventually got back sleep around 5:30 for a 6am alarm, which I slept thru, but fortunately my caddy woke me up." Horsfield arrived in West Lancashire straight from playing the LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, where he finished tied for 25th. The three-time DP World Tour winner has competed in three editions of the Open Championship with a made cut (tied for 67th in 2021). Sam Horsfield has responded to the report around him withdrawing from Open Qualifying. A little bit of context goes a long way. — Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) July 1, 2025 LIV Golf players qualified for The Open Championship Lucas Herbert was the only LIV golfer to qualify in West Lancashire, and he did so with mealist honors, finishing first with a score of 8-under. Fellow league players Harold Varner III and Andy Ogletree failed to secure any of the five spots at Royal Portrush that were contested there. Lee Westwood and Dean Burmester also qualified through the final qualifiers. The Englishman did so at the Dundonald Links event, and the South African at the Royal Cinque Ports. Here is the complete list of LIV golfers who have qualified to play in the 2025 Open Championship: Bryson DeChambeau Jon Rahm Tyrrell Hatton Dustin Johnson Brooks Koepka Phil Mickelson Patrick Reed Cameron Smith Jason Kokrak Joaquin Niemann Louis Oosthuizen Carlos Ortiz Tom McKibbin Henrik Stenson John Catlin Lee Westwood Lucas Herbert Dean Burmester This is likely the final list of LIV Golf players at Royal Portrush, as the remaining options to qualify are related to membership in the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. There is also the possibility that some LIV golfers could receive a special invitation, although this is a remote possibility, as the R&A does not routinely issue such exemptions. More Golf: Open Championship makes stunning qualifying change to benefit fans
NBC Sports
02-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
LIV player explains DQ from Open qualifying: 'I felt completely dizzy'
After carding a 7-over 43 on his opening nine Tuesday morning at West Lancashire, Sam Horsfield decided his chances of qualifying for The Open were wrecked. So, Horsfield, a member of LIV Golf's Majesticks GC, did what players have often done in his situation and walked off the course. The only issue is Horsfield, per the R&A, didn't notify an official of his withdrawal and was subsequently handed a disqualification. Semantics, sure, though the 28-year-old Englishman certainly earned himself quite a few headlines, including one from a British outlet that read, 'LIV golfer walks out of Open final qualifying after horror show.' Horsfield took issue with the coverage and posted an explanation of his premature exit to his Instagram account. As the former University of Florida standout from Manchester wrote, he didn't land at London's Heathrow airport from last weekend's LIV Dallas event until around 4 p.m. local time and didn't get to bed at his accommodations near the course until nearly 11 p.m. Then a fire alarm forced him outside at 1 a.m., and from there, he struggled to fall back asleep until about a half-hour before his 6 a.m. alarm, which he slept through. 'Fortunately, my caddie woke me up,' Horsfield added. 'I felt completely dizzy and out of it all day. Don't listen to the propaganda out there against LIV players by some of these pages. Hope this clears things up.' Horsfield, who has just one top-10 finish in nine LIV starts this year, will compete in LIV Andalucia next week in Spain.
