Is Talor Gooch Playing in Masters 2024?

Published 04/03/2024, 2:30 PM EDT

The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club is ready to witness swings from some of the top golfers worldwide. The golfers take pride to fight for the illustrious Green Jacket, and to be known as one of the recipients of the Masters trophy. This year, the dream to compete on the luscious Augusta greens has come true for many, even for some unexpected ones such as Joaquin Niemann. But there are still a few players who were still not able to get a invite or got qualified to compete in Georgia.

LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch is one of many players who will not be teeing up at the Masters this year. The golfer’s LIV compatriots such as Jon Rahm, and Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, and others would be gracing the greens of Augusta because of them meeting qualification criteria.

Despite winning three out of 13 events at LIV Golf, Gooch was unable to qualify for the Masters due to league not being affiliated to OWGR. The American golfer currently holds a rank of 550, and the Masters Tournament only takes into account the top 50 players on the list. He competed last year in the tournament because he had the exemption, but with his performance, could not secure the invitation to this year. Gooch’s performance in 2023 PGA Championship, and The Open, wherein he missed the cut could not do anything to help him secure a spot at this year’s competition.

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The LIV Golfer has been pretty open about his criticism towards the OWGR system, and how he believes that major tournaments do not think affirmatively of the LIV Golf.

Talor Gooch’s stern thoughts about OWGR, and majors

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In response to Niemann’s invitation, the 32-year-old conveyed his disappointment to Golf Digest, stating that “I think the majors have kind of shown that they’re not getting on board with LIV.” Continuing his statement, the pro emphasized his belief that major tournaments do not acknowledge LIV golf “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.”

Gooch also somewhat directed his frustration towards Rory McIlroy. He said “If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there’s just going to be an asterisk,” indicating that the best players won’t be competing alongside McIlroy.

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Although it’s unclear why Gooch specifically mentioned McIlroy, the Augusta showdown is about to commence. That being said, do you think the invited LIV golfers have a chance to win at the upcoming Masters? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Written by:

Naman Kumar is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. An expert in analytical pieces, he never fails to awe his readers with his niche coverage of big names—like his idol, Phil Mickelson—in the sport. Naman is also adept at predictability pieces, where he explores the immediate future of players, be it through where they’ll play next or whether injuries will cause them to withdraw from an event.

Edited by:

Riya Singhal

Is Talor Gooch Playing in Masters 2024?

Talor Gooch’s stern thoughts about OWGR, and majors

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