It’s LIV That’s the Joke..’: Despite Winning His Second $4,000,000 Check, Talor Gooch’s Win Gets Tainted With a Major Fans Debate

LIV golfer Talor Gooch has been in a red-hot form of late. The American lifted his first-ever LIV Trophy just a handful of days ago, pocketing an incredible $4,000,000 for his victory. On Sunday, he added another title to the bag by edging past Sergio Garcia at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.

However, winning ahead of golfing heavyweights like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Garcia has not helped the golfer improve his place on the OWGR. Despite picking up his second $4m check today, Gooch’s chances of appearing in June’s U.S. Open remain undetermined due to his low ranking. The 31-year-old’s fate has added fire to the PGA vs. LIV debate, inciting mixed reactions from fans.

Talor Gooch’s place in the OWGR continues to drop

Before defecting to LIV, Gooch had only one win in the PGA Tour in the form of the 2022 RSM Classic. He has now become the first player in the Saudi-backed league to win two back-to-back LIV events.

Earlier this week, the golfer was delighted to receive his invitation to the upcoming PGA Championship. But he might just miss out on June’s U.S. Open due to a change in the qualifying criteria. Moreover, his spot in the Official World Golf Rankings won’t help his cause either. In spite of his smashing form, Talor Gooch dropped two spots down to 59 from 57th place.

Due to its 48-man, no-cut events and limited access to tournaments, Greg Norman’s league has failed to meet multiple points of the OWGR criteria. As a result, the LIV pros have continued to plummet in the rankings. This also greatly affects the golfers’ chances of playing in future Major championships.

Also Read: Talor Gooch’s Family: All You Need to Know About His Wife and Kid

Fans on Twitter have also reacted to the unfortunate situation Gooch finds himself in despite his recent tournament wins. Most fans have pointed out LIV’s format as the reason behind the golfer’s fate.

Fans react to Talor Gooch dropping spots on the OWGR

The PGA vs. LIV battle continues to pick up steam, with golf enthusiasts reacting to Talor Gooch’s sorry situation on the Official World Golf Rankings. One of the many OWGR criteria is that an event must have an average of at least 75 players per tournament field. This is an issue for LIV, which features 48-player fields in tournaments. LIV events also boast 54 holes with no cuts, unlike the requisite 72-hole tournaments with 36-hole cuts.

Last year, LIV sent an application to the OWGR body, but the latter is yet to validate the Saudi-backed breakaway league’s format. Generally, the review process takes 12 to 18 months to complete.

Some of the fans also empathized with the golfers, with one saying that LIV was “failing its players.”

Previously, LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau had also aimed a jibe at the rankings. Speaking to the press ahead of LIV Singapore, the 2020 U.S. Open winner said, “You should realize that the OWGR is not accurate. I think that they need to come to a resolution, or it will become obsolete.” 

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What do you think of Talor Gooch’s drop in rankings? Let us know in the comments!