‘He’s Done Nothing’: Talor Gooch Becomes a Laughing Stock Amid Fans as Unique Exemption Claim Splits Golf World

At this point, it’s nearly impossible for a major tournament to occur without the topic of Talor Gooch coming up. Starting with the Masters this year, Gooch has been outspoken about not receiving invitations to majors. However, he did get an invite to the second major, the PGA Championship, where he finished T60 with a total score of 280, 4-under-par. This time, it’s not Gooch but someone else who has mentioned his name again. Who is it?

During the first round of the U.S. Open, a tweet by @LIVGolfNation started making the rounds on the internet. The post was shared on X with the caption, “The US Open gives a spot to the Korn Ferry Tour season points leader but not the LIV League’s Individual Champion.”

This post highlights that Ben Kohles, the points leader from the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season using combined points as per the US Open’s website, is currently at Pinehurst No. 2, while three-time LIV Champion Talor Gooch is not. Expressing disagreement over Gooch not receiving an invite, the post further stated, “Talor Gooch deserves to be playing at Pinehurst this week.”

While LIV Golf believes Gooch is worthy of playing in the US Open, do fans share the same sentiment? They don’t, as evidenced by the comments section. Interestingly, among the various responses, none were positive. Instead, the golfer became a laughing stock due to LIV Golf’s unique exemption claim.

What do fans have to say about Talor Gooch’s absence from the U.S. Open?

There are several ways to qualify for the US Open aside from the OWGR criteria. Winners of past majors, winners of various tours, and more can earn a spot. However, if still ineligible, the final option is to play in the US Open qualifiers. Highlighting these factors, one fan commented, “He could have qualified. He elected not to,” pointing out that when asked if he would play in the qualifiers, the golfer simply said, “I’m not,” thus passing on the opportunity.

Commenting on his performance rather than his decision not to run the qualifiers, one fan stated, “He hasn’t performed well at any major. I’m a fan, but he’s done nothing.” They pointed out that even after receiving a last-minute invite to this year’s PGA Championship, the golfer finished T60, falling short of the strong performance this fan expected from him.

Expressing similar sentiments about the qualifiers, another fan commented, “Couldn’t be bothered trying to qualify, so it surely isn’t a big deal for him.” They highlighted that the golfer passed on the opportunity to play in the qualifiers not once, but twice. This led the fan to believe that majors aren’t that important to Gooch, as he didn’t even attempt to qualify using the standard methods.

Major tournaments like the US Open always extend special invites to players they deem worthy; this year, at the 124th edition of the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods received a special exemption from the USGA. Even LIV golfers like Joaquin Niemann have received invitations to the 2024 Masters and PGA Championship. Addressing these factors, one fan commented, “There’s that word again…deserves. You always get what you deserve. He deserves to be sitting home.”

Not specifically targeting Gooch, this fan criticized the Saudi-backed league, remarking, “Seriously. Stop. If LIV was so great they wouldn’t have had to pay them millions to come play.” This highlights that LIV Tournaments have no cuts and each event is valued at $25 million. Additionally, LIV Golf reportedly offered Jon Rahm $566.4 million to join the circuit.

Does LIV Golf deserve more representation at majors? Does Talor Gooch deserve to be at Pinehurst No. 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.