Weeks After Snatching Away LIV Pro’s Dream to Play in the US Open, CEO Mike Whan Bluntly Shows His Hostility Towards Greg Norman’s League

As the 123rd edition of the US Open tees off at the Los Angeles Country Club North Course on Thursday, a number of controversies will be looming large over the coveted event. Now, ahead of the major, USGA boss Mike Whan has addressed several issues plaguing the golf world.

Wednesday’s press conference saw Whan make a blunt admission about the US Open and its eligibility process. This comes after a bunch of LIV players failed to become a part of the field this year due to the tournament’s eligibility criteria. Let’s jump in to find out more!

USGA boss Mike Whan makes a strong admission

From the controversial new PGA Tour-LIV merger to possible Saudi involvement with USGA, Mike Whan opened up on several burning topics. At one point, he also talked about the openness of the major, which may come across as a scathing remark against LIV Golf to many.

The US Open has often been touted as the most democratic major of all. Golfers who aren’t fully exempt to play can earn their places in the event by qualifying. From Jon Rahm to Scottie Scheffler to Brooks Koepka, more than half the field, however, consists of players who have received exemptions to appear in the tournament. But, one golfer’s absence from the Open this year has been the subject of great debate. The player is none other than LIV’s Talor Gooch.

“It will always continue to be, and it’s always been open,” USGA CEO Whan said reflecting on the impending major. “That doesn’t mean everybody likes how open it is, but we protect the openness of this championship. We love that virtually anybody can come here if you’ve got the game.”

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This year, Gooch successfully scripted two back-to-back wins in the LIV league. Despite his stellar showing, he failed to get an exemption into the US Open due to a tweak in the qualifying criteria this year. Later, the USGA also clarified the reason behind the 31-year-old’s misfortune.

The reason behind Talor Gooch’s absence from US Open explained

No other golfer has witnessed as much success in LIV Golf as Talor Gooch in 2023. After nabbing an incredible $4,000,000 payout in the league’s Adelaide event, Gooch repeated his heroics once again just days later in Singapore. Consequently, many were hoping to see the golfer in action at major events as well. However, a subtle change in the USGA’s qualification categories sadly dashed their hopes. Earlier, players “qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship” were eligible to appear. However, the USGA changed it to “those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2022 Tour Championship.”

Before going to LIV last year, Gooch had played well enough to finish 29 in the FedEx Cup standings to qualify for the Tour Championship. However, The PGAT ultimately banned him from playing at the event due to his defection. This is the reason behind Gooch’s failure to get an exemption this time around.

In April of this year, a USGA spokesperson, in a mail to Golfweek, further clarified the rule change. “The change was not made retroactively, but rather as a part of our annual review process.”

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What do you think of Mike Whan’s latest confession? Which golfer are you rooting for to win the US Open? Tell us in the comments!