LIV golfer Talor Gooch has made headlines after suggesting that a Rory McIlroy win at this year’s Masters could have an asterisk without more of the world’s best players in the field.
That remark, which Gooch made to Australian Golf Digest, was never likely to go unchallenged, and, as well as plenty of social media reaction, 2008 US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate has responded on his SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show The Rocco Hour.
Mediate began by questioning why Gooch, who is not currently eligible for this year’s Augusta National Major, is so concerned about the strength of the field.
He said: “’If Rory wins the Masters there should be an asterisk.’ I wonder why that is. Everybody that belongs in the Masters, all the past champions that are on LIV are playing. Is it because he’s not in?”
"What has he ever done?"After Talor Gooch's comments on a potential Rory McIlroy Masters win, Rocco Mediate sounds off on the topic.Listen to the Rocco Hour Mondays & Tuesdays at 6PM EST, or anytime on the SiriusXM App.@RoccoMediate pic.twitter.com/zcUAlf4S84February 28, 2024
Gooch had won once on the PGA Tour when he joined LIV Golf, the 2021 RSM Classic. However, he stormed to the circuit’s individual title in 2023, helped by three victories. Those achievements didn’t cut any ice with Mediate, though, who suggested they say more about the strength of LIV Golf’s fields than the ability of the American.
“What has he ever done? What has he ever done?” the six-time PGA Tour winner asked. “The fact that he was the best player on LIV last year is an embarrassment. Fact. So, he won one tournament on the PGA Tour. What, that means you can count that, whenever the hell that was? No one cares.”
McIlroy has racked up 24 PGA Tour wins in a career that has included four Major titles, and he will complete a career Grand Slam if he makes that five at April’s Masters. Considering those feats, Mediate reasoned that Gooch is in no position to question whether an Augusta National win for the Ulsterman would be undermined because of the opponents he would be up against.
He continued: “Please - he just needs to be quiet and go about his business, take all the money and that’s fine, but just stop it. You can say something about Rory? Are you kidding me? Are you absolutely kidding me?
“It’s embarrassing. LIV should be going, ‘Dude, you need to shut up. Shut up. We’ll handle this. We’ll handle it,’ and they will. But all the guys that should be at Augusta National, guess what? They will be.”
Gooch’s remarks came after fellow LIV Golf player Joaquin Niemann was among three players to receive a special invite to the Major after his win at the Australian Open on the DP World Tour.
Following the news that the Chilean would tee it up at the event despite not being high enough in the world rankings to qualify automatically, Gooch said: “‘Jaco’ went outside of LIV and played some great golf and they rewarded him for that. So hopefully the day will turn when the Majors decide to start rewarding good play on LIV. Hopefully that’ll be sooner than later.”
Currently, LIV Golf can’t offer world ranking points, meaning many of its players will struggle to qualify for Majors as they continue to fall down the rankings. Despite that, 13 of its players are still all qualified for this year’s Masters, including defending champion Jon Rahm.
