Although Rory McIlroy has won four major championships, the Green Jacket has yet to come his way during his career. He is still pursuing the career grand slam at Augusta National.
Even though LIV Golf champion Talor Gooch thinks winning this year would come with a “asterisk,” Rory McIlroy is still hoping to win his final major championship at The Masters.
Many will be focused on McIlroy’s ongoing pursuit of the career grand slam, while others will watch the stories surrounding Jon Rahm’s chances of winning the Masters and Tiger Woods’ fitness develop. The Northern Irishman’s last major title that eludes him is The Masters.
Gooch thinks a win this year would be tainted by the absence of the best LIV Golf stars, but he is still hoping to win the coveted Green Jacket. Gooch, the current individual LIV Golf champion for 2023, was not invited to the Masters.
Gooch will not play at Augusta despite winning three times on the LIV Golf circuit last year, defeating players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Cameron Smith in the season-long points race. The American, who is obviously upset about the choice, predicted that his exclusion will cause the 2024 Masters to have a “asterisk” in the end.
Gooch stated, “There’s just going to be an asterisk if Rory Mcllroy goes and completes his Grand Slam without some of the best players in the world.” That’s just how things are. Everybody benefits, in my opinion, whenever the majors manage to bring the greatest players in the world to town.
In defense of LIV Golf, Gooch made some intriguing remarks considering players like Rahm, Smith, Johnson, and DeChambeau. Gooch will play at Augusta alongside players like Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Adrian Meronk, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, and recent addition Tyrrell Hatton.
Commissioner Greg Norman declared that he would not hold off on praising or congratulating McIlroy in the event that he won the Masters, despite their disagreements and rivalry amidst the golf divide between the PGA Tour and LIV. Having placed second three times at the storied competition, Norman is aware of how challenging it is to win at Augusta.
According to Australian Golf Digest, Norman stated, “I take emotion out of everything.” “I excel in that area. I don’t apply feelings to business. I don’t add feelings to anything. If you do, I believe that reveals a person’s weakness.
“Since I could feel his pain, I sent Rory a supportive message after he missed the 2011 Masters when he hit that misplaced tee shot on hole 10, and he replied. And I’ll say congrats on hitting the grand slam if Rory wins the Masters this year, am I right? That embodies the essence of sport, good sportsmanship, and the humility of the game. I am that. That is my approach to it.
The 2024 Masters will run from 11 April to 14 April.
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