To Rocco Mediate, Talor Gooch’s comments about the Masters field strength have gone over about as well as a fart at a wedding.
During his SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio Show on Tuesday, the professional golfer, who has won six times on the PGA Tour and now competes in the PGA Tour Champions, criticized Gooch for suggesting that Rory McIlroy’s Masters win to achieve the career grand slam would be tainted. Mediate questioned why there should be an asterisk if Rory wins the Masters, referencing Gooch’s statement.
He wondered about the reasoning behind it, considering that all past champions are competing and Rory is not the only one missing. Mediate also questioned what Rory has achieved in comparison to other players.
Even though Gooch was ranked as one of the top 35 players in the Official World Golf Ranking before joining LIV Golf in 2022, his ranking has dropped to 449 and he is not eligible to participate in any major championships in 2024 after competing in three the previous year. Despite securing three LIV titles in 2023, these victories did not contribute to his ranking as the OWGR has not recognized the league.
Gooch stated to Australian Golf Digest this week that if Rory McIlroy achieves his grand slam without some top players, it would be seen with an asterisk. Gooch believes that it is important for the majors to ensure the presence of the best players for everyone to benefit.
Many LIV golfers joined the breakaway league despite uncertainty about its status with the OWGR and they still plan to participate in the Masters at Augusta in April.
Some of LIV’s top players, including Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, and Patrick Reed, have qualified for the tournament as past champions or major winners.
Augusta National recently offered a special invitation to golfer Joaquin Niemann, who is a leading international player not currently qualified to compete.
Niemann earned this invitation by winning the season-opening event at Mayakoba. Mediate was displeased that Gooch, who won the 2021 RSM Classic on the PGA Tour, had the nerve to openly express dissatisfaction about not being included in the competition. “The 2008 U.S.
Open runner-up expressed his embarrassment that he was considered the top player on LIV last year.
He questioned whether winning only one tournament on the PGA Tour should earn such recognition and suggested that this achievement should not be glorified. He advised the player to remain silent, focus on his own career, and be content with his earnings.
The runner-up found it ridiculous for the player to make negative comments about Rory, considering his own lack of major accomplishments.”
The reason behind Gooch singling out McIlroy specifically is not clear, nor is it known if he was prompted to talk about him in the question by Australian Golf Digest.
Gooch recommended that the major tournaments should consider making a special rule for the top 12 players in LIV’s rankings, just like the PGA Tour grants exemptions to the top 30 qualifiers for the Tour Championship.
Mediate suggested that Gooch’s league should intervene. “Liverpool should be thinking, ‘You should remain silent.
Let us take care of this.’ And they will,” he stated.