Matt Wallace Takes Jab At LIV Golfers, Says Talor Gooch's Huge Earnings Don't Make His Move 'Justified'
Since joining LIV Golf last year, Talor Gooch has earned over $20 million, with a large chunk of his sizable earnings coming from his back-to-back wins earlier this season. While there is no arguing that Gooch has earned life-changing money in an incredibly short period of time, Matt Wallace doesn't believe that makes his jump to the Saudi-backed circuit justified.
Wallace, who has one PGA Tour victory to his name, recently spoke out about the narrative that LIV players' (guaranteed) paydays don't make a move to the rival tour the right one.
“I saw my mate Talor Gooch has earned £19 million on LIV now or something. Great for him. But there was an article online saying that his decision must be justified and I look at it and go what’s justified about it? That he’s won £19 million?" Wallace told the Daily Telegraph.
Wallace's biggest issue with the 'justified' narrative is that while Gooch may be adding to his bank account, he's losing quite a bit as well.
Talor Gooch won back-to-back LIV Golf events in Australia and Singapore, but may miss out on the U.S. Open. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
Gooch, and every other LIV player, has done nothing but lose Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points which makes earning a spot into major championships incredibly difficult.
Currently ranked 60th in the world, Gooch will need to finish no worse than 15th in this week's PGA Championship to get into next month's U.S. Open.
"He got no world ranking points, no FedEx Cup points, nothing from it apart from a cheque and a trophy and he’s beaten a few players on there. Awesome. He’s probably playing the best golf in the world but that is kind of all he’s got from it," Wallace said of Gooch.
Wallace is buddies with Gooch, so his comments about the American are hardly jabs, but he did take a bit of a swing at some of the younger players who have joined LIV Golf. That group would include the likes of Cam Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and even Dustin Johnson.
“On that Tour, you can’t miss a cut and experience those lows. You’re just taking the easy road, which I don’t have any qualms about with some of the players," Wallace said. "But some of the other players that have gone, well it feels like their careers have kind of ended a little short."
Wallace isn't the first non-LIVer to share an opinion like this, he's just the latest.