Dustin Johnson gets edge over Talor Gooch after first round of LIV Golf Tulsa
Dustin Johnson gets the edge over rival and former teammate Talor Gooch during the first round of LIV Golf Tulsa.
Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch's rivalry as former teammates continued this week in Oklahoma for the LIV Golf Tulsa event as the pair played together in Friday's first round.
And it seems, after round one, Johnson has earned the edge over his competitor.
Johnson and Gooch played together during LIV Golf's inaugural season in 2022 before Johnson dropped Gooch from his 4 Aces GC during the off season.
Related: LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson AXES Talor Gooch from 4 ACES as he reshuffles the pack
Gooch was then taken in by Bubba Watson's Range Goats for 2023, where he's won two individual LIV Golf titles and one team event.
Gooch's first LIV win in Adelaide brought their rivalry to the surface, as Johnson made the beginning of the back-and-forth public.
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Ahead of the Mayakoba event, Johnson had presumably joked that he'd told Gooch in Miami - when they won the season-ending team championship - that "he should enjoy being on stage in Miami because that was the last time he's going to do that."
And after Gooch's win Adelaide, Johnson added more:
A week later, in Singapore, Gooch won his second LIV Golf event to become the first back-to-back winner in the history of the league. He had his own response to Johnson after the tournament.
He told reporters:
Related: Talor Gooch to former captain after second win: "Where's DJ right now?"
After a week off following the tournament at Sentosa, LIV Golf returned with its tournament in Tulsa and paired Johnson and Gooch together along with Sergio Garcia.
Related: Talor Gooch and Dustin Johnson's feud continues at LIV Golf Tulsa!
And in the first meeting of the two rivals since they parted ways, Johnson has appeared to have gotten the edge over Gooch.
The 24-time PGA Tour winner shot a 7-under par 63 at Cedar Ridge Country Club and was two strokes back of leader Branden Grace in a tie for second after the first round.
Grace is also rumoured to be resigning from the DP World Tour in the upcoming days, per the Telegraph's James Corrigan.
Related: LIV Golf stars face '500k fines' by DP World Tour as more resignations expected
Gooch, on the other hand, was down in a tie for 18th after a 2-under par 68.
Grace's team, Stinger GC, were in first over on the team leaderboard, with the 4 Aces in second and the Range Goats in third.
