LIV Golf star Talor Gooch—best known for claiming Rory McIlroy’s Masters win should have an “asterisk”—has withdrawn from US Open qualifying in surprising fashion.
Gooch, a founding member of the controversial LIV Golf tour and its all-time top earner with more than £45 million in prize money, has often criticized how LIV players are treated when it comes to qualifying for major tournaments. Since LIV events don’t offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, many of its players have plummeted in the rankings—Gooch included. Once ranked as high as 31st in the world, he’s now dropped to No. 1556.
Because of this, Gooch has missed six of the last eight major championships. Unlike some of his fellow LIV golfers—like Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann, who have made consistent efforts to play in qualifiers or other events to stay eligible—Gooch has mostly stayed within the LIV bubble. He only played four non-LIV tournaments in 2024.
This week, however, he decided to give US Open qualifying a shot. He entered the final stage at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, Texas, hoping to secure one of the final spots at Oakmont. But things didn’t go as planned—he withdrew after just 15 holes. At that point, he was one-over-par and facing an uphill battle to climb into one of the seven qualifying positions. LIV player Carlos Ortiz did go on to qualify.
Gooch’s withdrawal was met with heavy criticism online, especially from fans who remembered his controversial remarks earlier this year. In a February interview, he said McIlroy’s Masters win—and completion of the career Grand Slam—should come with an “asterisk” since it didn’t include some LIV players. McIlroy won the Green Jacket in April in a thrilling playoff against Justin Rose.
Gooch hasn’t said why he quit the qualifier, but the timing couldn’t have been worse, and the reaction was swift and unforgiving. Despite the stumble, he remains ranked 20th in the LIV standings and is scheduled to play in the upcoming LIV Golf event in Virginia, following a strong third-place finish in Korea earlier this month.
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