Billy Horschel has made his mark not only with his compelling performance at The Open in Scotland, but his unique golf caddy as well.

The American golfer is currently poised to grasp his inaugural major championship title courtesy of his remarkable five-under-par showing with merely two holes yet to be played in the third round, placing him neck and neck with Britain’s Daniel Brown.

Despite a wobbly start that saw him finishing one-over-par in the first round, largely due to a couple of bogeys on the front nine alongside a single birdie on the 16th hole, he made quite a comeback.

Scoring three-under in the second round and managing four birdies on the front nine in round three literally turned the tables for Horschel.

Though his masterful game at Royal Troon is talk of the town, its his claret and blue bag that’s grabbing eyeballs. The reason behind this unusual choice?

Horschel happens to be an avid follower of the Premier League team West Ham United, which he unapologetically flaunts with a Hammers-emblazoned bag.

While speaking with the press before the commencement of The Open, Horschel expressed his fondness for West Ham along with discussing the responses he generally gets from British football enthusiasts.

“Listen, whenever I try to come over here I try to get the West Ham bag out and hear ‘Up the Hammers’ and ‘Come on you Irons’,” Horschel jokingly said. “I’ve been very fortunate that other supporters of other clubs have been gracious enough to be nice to me compared to maybe how they may be to a fellow English person supporting a West Ham fan! “.

The Hammers are preparing for a two-match stint in the Sunshine State Tour, with games scheduled in Jacksonville and Tampa. However, despite his anticipation, Horschel will miss seeing new manager Julen Lopetegui due to his golf commitments.

Nevertheless, he’s thrilled about the Europa League-winning boss taking the reins. “I think Julen is going to do a good job,” Horschel expressed.

“I’m excited listening. David Moyes was awesome. He took the club from one spot to another and I think it was time to pass the torch and I think Julen will do a good job.”

The American golfer, who once impressed with a tied 4th at the US Open in 2013, is excelling this year on the greens, achieving a personal best T8 at the PGA Championship in May. He’s currently ranked No.11 in the world, equalling his career-best so far.

Reflecting on his prospects at major tournaments, Horschel is hopeful, particularly after his recent performances. “I’m very pleased. Two quality rounds of golf played and in a really good position going into the weekend I couldn’t ask for anything more after the first two rounds.

Speaking about his desire to finally claim one of golf’s biggest prizes, he added: “The majors mean so much to me.

“It’s a legacy thing. You can submit your legacy in the game of golf by winning a major, by winning multiple majors.

“I’ve always felt I’ve had the game to play well in majors. I just had to get out of my own way.

“I’ve always felt like I needed to be perfect. You’ve got to play perfect golf in majors to be able to win.

“I know that isn’t the case, but it was just one of those things where in certain cases I’m probably a slow learner, and in the majors case I am a slow learner in learning how to approach the majors. I’ve done a better job the last couple years.”