“It’s Just The Reality” – Talor Gooch Calls Rory McIlroy Completing His Grand Slam ‘Asterisk’ If No Top LIV Golfers Competes  

Talor Gooch is one of the best golfers in the LIV league but the athlete did not receive an invitation from Augusta National to play at the Masters this year. He finished T34 last year and hoped to take his rank to a better place, however, could not jump higher on the OWGR. As a result of this frustration, he took it all out on Rory McIlroy. 

Gooch, won three times in the disruptive league in 2023 in Adelaide, Singapore, and Andalucia. Also, this year he finished in runner-up place in LIV Golf Las Vegas but none of his performances are counted as far as majors are concerned. He is ranked 449 in the world and did not play anywhere else apart from Saudi-backed to find a way to the golf majors.

As a way to express his frustration, Talor Gooch attempted to throw harsh comments on Rory McIlroy’s chances to complete a grand slam at the 2024 Masters. 

Talor Gooch shares his views on Rory McIlroy’s chances to win Masters 

The 32-year-old American recently had an interview with Australian Golf Digest, expressing his regret about the majors not complying with LIV Golf.

“I think the majors have kind of shown that they’re not getting on board with LIV…hopefully the day will turn when the majors decide to start rewarding good play on LIV.”

Then, Talor Gooch shifted to Rory McIlroy and his chances in the first major of the 2024 season.

“If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his [career] grand slam without some of the best players in the world [competing], there’s just going to be an asterisk.”

Added to that, he continued, “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.”

After receiving rejection from the OWGR, LIV golfers have fewer chances in the majors. Despite that, Joaquin Niemann has proven it wrong with his current performances and received a special invite from Augusta National. His triumph at the Australian Open and his best five DP World Tour finishes made him get everybody’s attention. 

As of now, Talor Gooch could not make it to the Masters but he still has a chance to qualify for the other majors of the year. Now, it is to see if he will be making his way into those through other events that credit OWGR points or is stubborn enough to play only the LIV tournaments. 

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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