Gooch proposes that there may be an asterisk attached to McIlroy’s victory at the Masters.
According to the LIV Golf individual champion, Rory McIlroy’s potential victory at The Masters may not hold as much significance if he competes without the world’s top golfers. This statement was made in an interview with Australian Golf Digest.
Talor Gooch from LIV Golf believes that Rory McIlroy’s desire to achieve a career Grand Slam at The Masters this year may not be fully acknowledged due to the absence of some top-ranked players in the tournament.
Last week, Joaquin Niemann from the LIV golf team received a special invitation to the Augusta National Major along with two other players. However, despite winning three events in 2023 and becoming the individual champion of the circuit, Gooch is currently set to be excluded.
Unless he receives an invitation, the sole option for him to participate in April’s tournament is by climbing up to the top 50 before that week as he sits at position 449 presently on worldwide rankings.
Despite his remarkable form in 2023, where he surpassed top-notch players such as PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith and 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau to win the individual title; it is highly possible that he will end up being excluded due to other factors.
According to Gooch, speaking to Australian Golf Digest, Niemann’s invitation does not come as a shock due to his successful performances outside of LIV Golf. This includes winning the DP World Tour’s Australian Open championship.
He expressed his opinion that it was not unexpected, citing the fact that the Majors appeared to be hesitant in accepting LIV. He pointed out how “Jaco” had succeeded outside of LIV and received recognition for doing so. Thus, he hoped there would come a time when outstanding performance on LIV would also be acknowledged by the majors – ideally sooner rather than later.
Despite his apparent acceptance of the situation, Gooch cautioned that unless the Majors acknowledge players’ performances at LIV Golf tournaments, winning one of golf’s four major trophies will be less meaningful. He believed this would also apply to McIlroy if he were to secure his first major victory in ten years at Augusta National.
He clarified that if Rory McIlroy finishes his Grand Slam without the presence of some elite players, there will always be an asterisk denoting it – plain and simple.
The denial of LIV Golf’s attempt to earn global ranking points in the previous year has heightened discussions on how to acknowledge their players’ accomplishments.
The disparity in world ranking point allocation became apparent following Niemann’s win at the opening event of the LIV Golf season. Despite his victory, he did not manage to garner any points whereas PGA Tour player Wyndham Clark received all available points for his Pebble Beach Pro-Am triumph which occurred under challenging weather conditions and was also a 54-hole affair like Niemann’s tournament.
In addition to that, Niemann’s outstanding performance comprised an impressive score of 59, triumph over 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia in a playoff and overcoming the challenge exerted by current champion Jon Rahm during his journey.
Niemann’s endeavors were in vain as he descended from 66th to 74th place globally, whereas Clark ascended to a record high of sixth. Although Niemann has secured an invitation for the Masters this year, Gooch opines that adopting a more enduring approach towards qualification would be advantageous for all parties involved.
He believed that the Majors should find a way to bring together the world’s top players, resulting in an overall gain for everyone involved.
Gooch is scheduled to participate in the LIV Golf Jeddah tournament, which runs from March 1st through March 3rd.
