Jay Monahan Gets the Ultimate ‘Masters’ Win Over LIV Amid Akshay Bhatia’s Last Minute Attempt

The simultaneous occurrence of the Valero Texas Open and LIV Golf Miami provides the perfect illustration of the distinction between winning on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. While the winner of the Valero Texas Open will earn an invitation to compete for the green jacket, the same cannot be said for LIV Golf Miami!

It is safe to say that LIV does not have the same accreditation as the PGA Tour, and as per a few people, this is what is impacting LIV Golf’s growth tremendously! Also, the Saudi league is not affiliated with OWGR, which further hinders well-performing LIV golfers and demotivates them. But with the ongoing two golf tournaments in Miami and Texas, not LIV Golf winner or the PGA Tour pro, it seems that Jay Monahan would be the one with a final smile.

Masters’ last invite will one-up the PGA Tour winner, leaving the Miami winner behind

Following the third round’s conclusion, Indian-American Akshay Bhatia has a four-stroke lead over Denny McCarthy and is on the verge of securing a last-minute invitation to the 2024 Masters. Meanwhile, Talor Gooch, in the Miami event, is tied for the T2 position with a total score of 137 till the second round. However, even after giving a stellar performance in Miami, there is still no chance of Gooch getting an invite to the Masters or any other majors.

In 2023, Gooch had an incredible run on LIV Golf. He won three events: Adelaide, Singapore, and Andalucía. His display of stellar skills seems to have gone unnoticed, as he could not secure any special invitation to the Masters like his compatriot Joaquin Niemann did after impressing everyone with his performance at the DP World Tour and Asian Tour. On the contrary, as per the Masters qualification criteria, all the PGA Tour winners in between from the 2023 Masters to the 2024 Masters receive an invitation to compete at Augusta National.

Even if Gooch manages to win, the only thing he will be taking home will be the $4 million prize money and not a special invite. Now it seems that the PGA Tour Commissioner, as the face of the American Tour, is the one who will get the final ‘Masters’ win in the long-standing PGA Tour-LIV Golf feud as Bhatia, if wins will be seen at ANGC next week, and not Gooch. With the $3 billion merger looming over the golf world, Monahan is not the one who is against the Saudi-funded league, but the majors still fail to acknowledge the good golf that is displayed in the 54-hole format.

While helpless in the situation, Gooch appears to have recognized the realities surrounding LIV Golf. He has been very vocal about his thoughts regarding the entire matter,

Talor Gooch’s hard-hitting opinion on LIV Golf being ignored

Talor Gooch expressed disappointment in Miami that “there’s nothing” he can “do to influence people, unfortunately.” LIV golfer knew he has no control over the authorities making decisions, but he could control one thing: “Good golf, so I’m going to keep focusing on that.” “Even though it didn’t work, I’m going to keep trying to shoot good scores,” said disheartened Gooch.

Upon reacting to Niemann’s invitation, the 32-year-old said, “I think the majors have kind of shown that they’re not getting on board with LIV.” He agreed that even Niemann had to go outside LIV and play “great golf” to get “rewarded.” However, he is still hopeful that “the day will turn when the majors decide to start rewarding good play on LIV. Hopefully, that’ll be sooner than later.”

Do you agree with Talor Gooch’s remarks? Are you looking forward to seeing Akshay Bhatia tee it up at the Augusta National? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Read More: Greg Norman Becomes Talor Gooch’s Staunch Defender Amid Masters Devastation; Gives LIV Golfer the Ultimate Praise