Talor Gooch of LIV Golf received an invitation to the 2024 PGA Championship a few days after making headlines with remarks about attempting to break into the major leagues.
A request for Talor Gooch to attend the upcoming PGA Championship has been made.
Gooch confirmed on May 6th via X that he will be visiting Louisville, Kentucky’s Valhalla Golf Club from May 16–19.
He wrote, “I’m excited for the PGA Championship next week.”
“I’ll see you there, thanks for the invite, @PGA.”
Gooch is not the only player in League of Legends who received an unexpected invite.
David Puig, a highly regarded young Spanish player, is also competing, according to a report published on Sunday by Spanish outlet Ten Golf.
In the Official World Golf Ranking, Puig is ranked 106th.
This is significant because the PGA of America normally extends invitations to only the world’s top 100 players.
Gooch’s drop to 644th in the rankings means that this is a big consolation prize for breakaway tour players.
At the second major of the year, LIV will field 11 players, including Puig and Gooch.
Two less than the Masters of 2024.
Gooch won the individual title in LIV in 2023 and is clearly incredibly talented.
Due to his impressive performance in three LIV events, there were rumors that he might have received a surprise captain’s pick for the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup squad.
Gooch’s remarks made outside of the course regarding LIV players’ difficulties breaking into the major leagues have garnered the most attention.
Remarkably, he was met with a massive backlash when he implied that others might view Rory McIlroy’s career grand slam as potentially problematic.
Gooch stated, “There’s just going to be an asterisk if Rory McIlroy goes and completes his grand slam without some of the best players in the world.”
That’s just how things are.
“Whenever the majors figure out a way to get the best players in the world there, I think everybody wins.”
Prior to Brooks Koepka’s victory at LIV Golf Singapore, Gooch also generated some controversy when he declared he had no intention of attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and the 2024 Open at Royal Troon.
Reactions to the news that Gooch has been invited to the PGA Championship have been conflicting.
It makes sense that some people think his invitation is well-deserved.
Not everyone is as content.
One X user commented, “Not earned but cried for.”
Another said, “You should retire for life if Blockie beats you.”
“It’s going to be hilarious when ‘the best iron player ever’ doesn’t even make the cut,” said the person who twisted the knife.
That was a reference to the bold assertion made by Greg Norman, the commissioner of LIV.
In 2023, Gooch participated in three majors.
He finished T-34 at the Masters and missed cuts at the PGA Championship and The Open.
His best major finish to date was a top-15 at Augusta National in 2022, his first major championship.
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