Talor Gooch Reveals His Delusion In Saying A Rory McIlroy Masters Win Would Have An Asterisk Next To It
Talor Gooch is among the many LIV golfers who will not be teeing it up in the Masters this April. He's understandably upset about missing out on the year's first major championship and is expressing his frustrations by questioning the integrity of the event itself and calling out Rory McIlroy by name.
It's a bold strategy from not only someone who knew exactly what he signed up for when joining LIV Golf but for a player who has just one Top 15 finish in 11 major appearances in his career.
Gooch won three times on LIV a year ago, taking down the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, and Patrick Reed as the season's individual champion. One could make the case that the accolade could earn him a special invite to the Masters this year, but the only opinion that matters in this instance is Augusta National's, and it doesn't see his success in 54-hole, no cut events as enough to add him to the field.
Gooch seems to be under the impression that without his presence at Augusta this Spring, whoever earns the green jacket will have an asterisk next to their name. That list of potential fraudulent winners includes McIlroy's name, who with a win would become just the sixth player in the modern era to complete the career Grand Slam.
"If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his [Career] Grand Slam without some of the best players in the world, there’s just going to be an asterisk. It’s just the reality. I think everybody wins whenever the majors figure out a way to get the best players in the world there," Gooch told Golf Digest Australia.
If the words ‘delusion’ and ‘ego’ come to mind after reading that quote, you're not alone.
(Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A total of 13 LIV players are in the 2024 Masters field: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Cam Smith, and Bubba Watson.
Talor Gooch, Other LIV Players Were Lied To
All 13 of those players, with the exception of Niemann who recently accepted a special invitation, met one of the many qualification requirements to earn a spot in this year's tournament field.
It's pretty simple, Gooch didn't. In his three major appearances last year - which serve as opportunities to earn World Ranking points or finish in a certain position to earn an exemption - Gooch missed two cuts and finished T-34 in the Masters.
Niemann earned his special invitation for winning the Australian Open and picking up two other Top 10s in DP World Tour-sanctioned events. Gooch did nothing last year outside of his three wins on LIV, hence no special invitation.
Again, it's understandable for Gooch to be frustrated. His current world ranking of 427 is laughable given that he's without a question a Top 50 player in the world.
This brings us to the point that every LIV player complaining about the World Ranking system is directing their frustration in the wrong direction.
LIV Golf promised its players that the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system would recognize the breakaway circuit, but LIV is now in its third season, and it's still without world ranking points.
LIV players were lied to, and that's not Augusta National's problem to worry about.