LIV Golf's Talor Gooch didn't think fallout would be "this extreme"
LIV Golf's Talor Gooch has explained what life has been like since signing up for the series which resulted in his suspension from the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf player Talor Gooch has revealed he knew there would be fallout for signing up to the lucrative series but did not believe it was going to be "as extreme as it was".
In an interview with Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Gooch, 30, has opened up on what life has been like over the past few months since signing up for the Greg Norman-fronted enterprise.
He explained that there have been "a bunch of highs, a bunch of lows and everything in between". "It's been tumultuous," he told the publication.
Gooch has not resigned his PGA Tour membership. Had he not been suspended, he would have been playing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs by virtue of his form this season.
The 30-year-old was one of three LIV players who requested a temporary restraining order from a federal judge, which would have allowed them to compete in the postseason.
In an early legal victory for the PGA Tour, Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones were ruled against.
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The judge also delivered this scathing line about LIV Golf in explaining the reason for her decision.
Gooch won the RSM Classic in November and also had a bunch of more than respectable finishes on the PGA Tour during his shortened season.
Before he signed for LIV Golf, Gooch had earned more than $3million in prize money this season alone. Of course, it's likely he's earning several times more than that with LIV, but his defection still turned heads.
Gooch insists that he only signed up for the first LIV event, at Centurion Club in June, but once he found out he was suspended he signed up for the remaining seven events of their inaugural season.
Attorneys for the PGA Tour argued that Gooch always knew he was going to be suspended, per the correspondence they sent him before teeing it up just outside London.
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"I knew there could be some repercussions from my decision to play in that tournament," Gooch told Harig.
"Based on the history of what the PGA Tour has done, I didn't think it would be as extreme as it was.
"I knew anytime you make a decision like that, there can be consequences. But I planned on coming back. I wasn't all-in with LIV. I wasn't signed to play any more tournaments."
He added: "My wife and I took a trip away last weekend and were laughing about and reflecting on the last six months and how crazy it's all been.
"None of this was in the cards. None of this was expected in this world. It's been tumultuous. A bunch of highs, a bunch of lows and everything in between.
"It was my best season on Tour yet. My team just did a great job. Even though it was an unconventional year, I was proud of what we were able to do in a shortened season. I played some really good golf. It was fun."
Gooch also told Harig that it was because he wanted to play in the majors - not the money - that he took legal action to try and play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He claimed he was going to donate prize money from the PGA Tour's postseason to charity.
Gooch told Sports Illustrated: "That was the sole reason why we were seeking the TRO.
"I knew I was going to be right on the cusp of getting into the Tour Championship. While we are waiting with LIV to see what unfolds, I knew my greatest chance of getting into the majors was getting into the Tour Championship. And I wanted to solidify my spot.
"Based on merit and play through the season before I moved to LIV, I played well enough to get in the Tour Championship. Majors are the pinnacle of golf, but I knew what I was signing up for would put that at risk. That's why it was very important for me to get to the Tour Championship.
"Even though I'm not there, I played well enough to get there. You have to be hopeful that the major championships will recognize that. It's a bit chaotic right now."
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