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Talor Gooch issued controversial statements about the Majors, particularly involving Rory McIlroy. Gooch claimed that if the Northern Irishman clinches his Grand Slam, the result should carry an "asterisk" because not all the "best players" would be present.
Talor Gooch made these statements during an interview with the Australian Golf Digest that was published on Tuesday, February 27. The interview quickly went viral. His post alone on the media outlet's X (formerly Twitter) account has received more than half a million views.
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Fans have reacted in varied ways, but most have expressed their disagreement with what Talor Gooch said. One fan posted:
"Who is Taylor gooch? Nobody even knows who that guy is"
Another user disagreed with Gooch and opined that the best players in the world will be there:
"The best players in the world will be there. Taylor Gooch just isn’t one of them."
One user commented about the entry requirements for Majors and how it's the player's responsibility to qualify for them:
"What entitlement. It is the player's job to figure out how to get in the majors, not the majors' job to figure out how to get the players in. Joaco did it."
Here are a few more reactions from fans online:
As of February, 13 LIV Golf players are assured of playing in The Masters 2024. Among them are former champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, and Charl Schwartzel.
In addition, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith are exempt due to their results in other Majors in recent years, while Joaquin Niemann received a special invitation.
The list is completed by Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, although their place in the field depends on the world ranking and is not assured until the deadline. For the same reason, other players could join at the last minute if they participate in eligible events and earn enough OWGR points.
How has Talor Gooch performed in Major tournaments?
Talor Gooch began his professional career in 2014. His debut in Majors occurred in 2017 when he finished 66th at the US Open. He had to wait three seasons to return to a tournament in this category but he missed the cut at the 2020 PGA Championship.
The following year, he finished T44 at the PGA Championship and T33 at The Open Championship. In 2022, Gooch managed to play all four Majors of the season for the first and only time in his career to date. He also achieved his best finish in two Majors to date in 2022 (T14 at The Masters and T20 at the PGA Championship).
His overall performance in Majors includes participation in 11 editions with seven cuts passed and two Top 20s.
Prior to joining LIV Golf, Talor Gooch played eight seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour, with one win on each circuit.
