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The Reason He Left Dustin Johnson Behind! After Being the Ace of LIV Golf’s 2023 Schedule, Greg Norman’s Squad Member Finally Opens Up

Published 09/14/2023, 9:06 AM EDT

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LIV Golf has been the talk of the town since its birth last year. They defied the golf traditions and had a team system with four players on each team. Now, Dustin Johnson’s team, 4Aces GC, had a successful season in 2022-2023 with a stellar win in Miami. But despite the excellent teamwork and triumph, a vital LIV teammate left the clan. 

Months after the announcement, Greg Norman’s squad member opened up about the reason for leaving his former team behind. What can be a fitting cause for this decision?

Dustin Johnson’s former 4Aces GC mate leaves the squad

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The Oklahoma-based LIV loyalist, Talor Gooch, has had a successful year so far in the 2023 LIV schedule. He had three individual wins in LIV events. These included the LIV Golf Invitational Adelaide, the LIV Golf Invitational Singapore, and the LIV Golf Invitational Andalucia. Though this year has been more about individual triumphs, last year was mostly about team success. 

Gooch won the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship held at Trump National Doral Miami. He won the event with his former team, 4 Aces GC, under the guidance of captain Dustin Johnson and bagged a hefty $16 million in prize money for his team. 

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Despite seeing favorable results with his former squad, Gooch still made a tough decision back in February and changed his clan to Range Goats GC. When we dug deeper, the reason behind this crucial decision was a friend, Harold Varner III.

In an interview, Gooch said, “Whenever Harold joined the league last year, and, you know, he’s one of my best buddies for, you know, going back to our early in our college days… we talked about, you know, teaming up and, you know, if you ever had a chance to in professional sports to go and team up with one of your best buddies… you’re gonna jump at that.”

In addition, he also mentioned, “They have a chance to play with Bubba. I mean, it was, you know, something that I couldn’t pass up.” He reflected on the fact that he would never miss a chance with Bubba Watson on the same team. Now, that Gooch has the experience of having played under both Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, whom does he choose as a better captain?

Talor Gooch’s stance on the captaincy of Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson 

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Talor Gooch described Dustin Johnson’s zeal on the greens as that of an “assassin”. Further, he said in the same interview, “He just goes out there. And he just handles his business and, and he goes and plays great golf. And, you know, he’s gonna lead by example, he’s going to, you know, he’s not there to, to, you know, shut up too much.”

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Then, as he attempted to describe Bubba Watson, he called him “goofier”. He also said that Bubba handles situations calmly and has a playful side. Later, he ended the comparison by saying, “He’s been such a great supporter of my foundation as well. And so yeah, it’s been a blessing to have an opportunity.” He reflected on the fact that playing under Watson had been a blessing for him. 

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What do you think about Talor Gooch’s decision? Let us know in the comments below. 

Watch This Story: Despite being with LIV Golf for a year, Phil Mickelson successfully dominates the PGA Tour with his earnings and is behind only one golfer now

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Written by:

Suchita Chakraborty

303Articles

One take at a time

Suchita is a golf writer for EssentiallySports who was chosen in the recent ‘ES Draft’ round for her in-depth coverage and knowledge of the sport. Even as a budding writer, she has captivated readers through her ability to bring the sport to life through her articles, especially when it comes to golf's latest hot topic, the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Suchita draws her inspiration from one of the legends in women’s golf, Annika Sorrenstam.
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Edited by:

Vishav

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