Earlier this week, Talor Gooch of LIV Golf found himself in the public eye when he made the absurd claim that if Rory McIlroy were to win the Masters in April and complete the Grand Slam, it would come with an asterisk.
Gooch made this claim while claiming that McIlroy’s victory would be tainted because some of the best players in professional golf would not be present.
Let’s set aside for a moment how ridiculous and misguided that sentiment is, given that almost every top golfer from LIV will be playing in Augusta. However, Rocco Mediate did not adopt that tactic. Instead, he went on the offensive on PGA Tour Radio.
“Everyone who should be in the Masters is competing, including all of the previous winners on LIV. Is it that [Gooch] isn’t in? How far does he go? How could he have done that? It’s embarrassing that he was LIV’s best player last year, Mediate remarked with disbelief.
“It’s okay, he just needs to keep quiet, collect all the money, and go about his business. Simply said, though, stop it. Are you kidding me, or are you going to mention Rory?
“LIV need to be telling him to quiet up, buddy. We’ll take care of this.
It’s not just Mediate who is criticizing Gooch. Eddie Pepperell, a DP World Tour veteran, referred to him as a “f***ing idiot,” and both golfers and the media jumped on it.
Many LIV players have expressed their dislike for the Official World Golf Ranking system, citing their decline in performance since quitting the PGA Tour.
The truth remains that all of the previous champions will be in the majors, regardless of how persuasive their argument is—which it most likely is in many respects.
Gooch was unaware of how alone he actually was, even though he believed he was expressing a universal emotion. That has effectively put the proverbial “egg” in his face.