PGA Tour pro Michael S Kim takes a jibe at Talor Gooch's 'asterisk' comment from the past with a Rory McIlroy example

PGA Tour pro Michael S. Kim took a jibe at LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch's asterisk remark in his recent comment while rooting for Rory McIlroy. This week, on the PGA Tour, the players have been playing in a signature event at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The tournament featuring a limited field already kicked off with its inaugural round on January 30. It features professional golfers playing with their amateur partners.

Rory McIlroy and his amateur partner Jeff Rhodes, co-managing partner at TPG Healthcare, were originally set to tee off alongside Ludvig Åberg and his amateur partner, Jimmy Dunne, for the first two rounds of the tournament. However, Åberg withdrew ahead of the second round on Friday, January 31.

As a result, his amateur partner, Dunne, was later joined by Cypress Point head professional Casey Reamer. For the second round, McIlroy played alongside Reamer, Dunne, and Rhodes.

Golf writer Dylan Dethier shared about the "funny" group of Mclroy for the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

"such a funny event, Rory McIlroy's foursome is now: -Rory McIlroy -managing partner at TPG Capital -vice chairman at Piper Sandler -head pro at Cypress Point."

Michael S. Kim jumped to the comment section, writing:

"If Rory wins, will some people put an asterisk next to it since it wasn’t a true tournament setting???"

Notably, in February 2024, Talor Gooch opened up about the Saudi league players missing from the Majors field. He said if Rory McIlroy could win the Masters and complete his Grand Slam in 2024, it would be an asterisk as some of the top-ranked players would be missing from the field. Gooch said (via NBC Sports):

“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.”

Notably, Rory McIlroy has won four majors in his career. However, he is still seeking to earn the prestigious green jacket at the Augusta National Golf Club.

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Rory McIlroy plays a round of 70 at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Friday, slips down five spots on the leaderboard

Rory McIlroy had a good start at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. However, he struggled with his game in the second round.

He played the first round of 66 and settled in a tie for eighth place. However, in the second round, he teed it up at the Pebble Beach Golf Course on the first tee hole. He had a good start on the front nine and made four birdies, but the back nine was significantly challenging for the Northern Irish golfer.

He carded two back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes and then added two more bogeys on the 16th and 17th. However, after some tough moments, on the 18th, he managed to make an eagle for a total of 2-under 70. But he still slipped down five spots on the leaderboard and tied for 13th place.