Talor Gooch has had a whirlwind of a past six months. The American was having his best season yet on the PGA Tour, sitting inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings before he made the controversial decision to jump ship and join LIV Golf.
Since then, Gooch has earned a bucket load of cash, come out with some truly bizarre claims, been banned by the PGA Tour, and gone to court with two other LIV golfers over their FedEx Cup Playoffs exclusion.
Gooch was unsuccessful, despite earning enough points to play in the season finale. But now, as 30 players tee up in the Tour Championship, Gooch has revealed he never intended to be “all-in with LIV”, admitting his plan was to eventually come back to the PGA Tour.
“I knew there could be some repercussions from my decision to play [in LIV],” Gooch told Sports Illustrated. “Based on the history of what the PGA Tour has done, I didn’t think it would be as extreme as it was.
“I knew anytime you make a decision like that, there can be consequences. I planned on coming back. I wasn’t all-in with LIV. I wasn’t signed to play any more tournaments.
“None of this was on the cards. None of this was expected. It’s been tumultuous. A bunch of highs, a bunch of lows and everything in between.”
Gooch then revealed exactly why he took the PGA Tour to court over his FedEx Cup Playoff ban, insisting the Tour Championship would have given him the best chance at competing in next year’s majors.
“That was the sole reason why we were seeking the TRO (temporary restraining order).” Gooch continued. “I knew I was going to be right on the cusp of getting into the Tour Championship.”
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The Masters, US Open and The Open all have qualification criteria regarding the Tour Championship, permitting all 30 qualifiers from the tournament into their major. But with Gooch excluded, he fears his “greatest chance” to play in the majors next year has now passed.
“While we are waiting with LIV to see what unfolds, I knew my greatest chance of getting into the majors was getting into the Tour Championship, and I wanted to solidify my spot.
“Based on merit and play through the season before I moved to LIV, I played well enough to get in the Tour Championship.
“Majors are the pinnacle of golf, but I knew what I was signing up for would put that at risk. That’s why it was very important for me to get to the Tour Championship. I played well enough to get there. You have to be hopeful that the major championships will recognise that. It’s a bit chaotic right now.”
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