Talor Gooch’s ‘Disheartening’ Setback Rings Alarm Bells for LIV Golfers Ahead of Adelaide Event

Most LIV golfers are excited for the weekend. A year ago, LIV Golf Adelaide showed what other LIV events were missing. Cameron Smith is basking in the home support. Talor Gooch is already feeling the vibes. The likes of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka hope to shake off the Masters anomaly. A $4 million paycheck waits on Sunday. But there’s a catch!

Ask the defending champion, and he will tell you. Gooch was shocked when he opened his account on Monday. Almost half of what he earned was ‘missing’. Last April, Gooch’s mood was a little peppery, and a similar fate awaits this year’s champion as well.

Why LIV Golf Adelaide ‘s**cked’ for Talor Gooch

Adelaide catapulted Talor Gooch to the summit. The South Australian state was also the location of his biggest paycheck. And the largest tax cut he ever saw. In Adelaide, too, Gooch was handed a $4 million paycheck but received only half the amount. 

The American star had to pay almost 47.5% on Australian taxes. The Oklahoma State product took home around $2.8 million. Interestingly, the defending champion himself revealed that in a podcast last year.

Gooch said, “It was a little bit disheartening seeing 47 and a half percent because Australian taxes [do] not enter the account… It was a big one this last week, but yeah, it s***ed that 47 and a half percent was withheld for Australian taxes, unfortunately.” The three-time LIV Golf winner was a little upset, but the $2.8 million, his highest paycheck then, didn’t offer any reason for complaining.

“I’m by no means complaining, but the four ($US4 million)—once you cut it all up, let’s just say it’s a lot less than four on the back end of it, but hey, I’m not going to complain.” Oddly enough, he could take solace from his LIV Golf peer. Phil Mickelson, and not Talor Gooch, was subjected to the most harsh tax regime a decade ago.

Taxes and golf: a thorny subject of debate for more than a decade

The point to consider is that golfers have to pay taxes regardless of where they play. But, perhaps nowhere, they lose almost half the money. In this country, taxes vary across states. A golf agent told Golf.com that California withholds almost 7 percent of straightways. It’s easy to forget now, but a decade ago, Phil Mickelson paid 44.02% in British taxes. 

Lefty won twice, first the Scottish Open and then the 2013 Open Championship. The 53-year-old earned $2,167,500 in aggregate. However, the six-time Major champion also had to pay $954,000 in taxes. In addition to that, the UK also considers endorsement and ranking bonuses. Mickelson had to cough up a further 45% of his yearly earnings.

In total, after adding his California tax, the veteran paid 61.5% of his Scottish earnings at that time. Although Talor Gooch said he wouldn’t complain, Lefty was furious at that time. Allegedly, Californian tax law was one of the reasons he shifted to Jupiter Island, Florida.