For the first time since the inception of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf division, a LIV golfer has been awarded a spot in a major championship due primarily to his performance on the 54-hole team tour.
Talor Gooch, who joined the Saudi-backed tour in May 2022, announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the PGA of America has extended a special invitation to compete in next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. The PGA of America also invited LIV’s David Puig, a 22-year-old Arizona State product who recently won the Malaysian Open and qualified for the Open Championship.
I’m looking forward to Valhalla next week!
thanks for the invitation @PGA 🙏🏼 See you soon. pic.twitter.com/0Rcm652KMP– Talor Gooch (@TalorGooch) May 6, 2024
“Looking forward to Valhalla next week!” » Gooch wrote on X. “Thanks for the PGA invitation. See you soon.
The PGA of America (the governing body of the PGA Championship) traditionally invites the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Ranking to compete at the PGA. Gooch is currently ranked #644, while Puig is #106. LIV golf tournaments are not recognized in the ranking system, and Gooch has only competed in six official OWGR events since joining LIV. However, after leaving the PGA Tour, Gooch won three times on LIV and finished as the league’s individual champion in 2023. His only PGA Tour victory came at the 2021 RSM Classic, six months before joining the league arrived.
LIV’s Joaquin Niemann notably received a special invitation to the Masters last month, but the Chilean has intentionally traveled the world to compete in tournaments outside of LIV Golf and earn his place in the majors. Niemann won the Australian Open in December and had top-five finishes in three DP World Tour events. Gooch, however, did not make the same effort. He competed at the Hong Kong Open in November and the Saudi International last winter, but other than those two starts, the 32-year-old has not played outside of the LIV. Gooch’s invitation to the PGA Championship indicates tournament organizers recognize his performance on the Saudi-backed tour.
Gooch has been particularly outspoken about his exclusion from major championships. He was eligible for the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship last season due to his performance on the PGA Tour before joining LIV. But the USGA changed its eligibility rules and Gooch was unable to play at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 for the U.S. Open.
At a press conference last week in Singapore, Gooch announced that he would not attempt to qualify for the 2024 US Open, despite 35 LIV players trying their hand at final qualifying in the weeks to come.
“I’m not,” Gooch said when asked if he would qualify. He did not provide any further explanation.
Gooch also attracted attention when he said that if Rory McIlroy had completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters, the distinction would have required an “asterisk” due to the absence of LIV players in the field. Still, 13 LIV golfers teeed off at Augusta this year.
The full list of PGA Championship participants has not been released. Brooks Koepka, the defending champion, is a member of LIV and lifted the individual trophy at LIV Singapore last week.
(Talor Gooch Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)