Report: PGA Tour pro says he wants to "punch" LIV Golf's Talor Gooch
LIV Golf Tour player Talor Gooch has been speaking of what life has been like after he defected from the PGA Tour to join the controversial series.
Before the emergence of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, it's fair to say that only the most ardent PGA Tour fans might have heard of Talor Gooch.
When he was announced in the field of LIV Golf London, it caught the attention of golf fans because he represented the type of player analysts believed would have been unlikely to take the risk to join the upstart circuit so soon.
Watch: Talor Gooch hits back at Shane Lowry over his "one for the good guys" comment
After all, LIV was supposed to be a place for the washed-up, fading stars who were cashing in on their careers. Either that, or it was a place for young professional players just looking to play golf tournaments and earn some mind-boggling cash.
Related: Young pro says he was at "rock bottom" before he joined LIV
How times have changed and now Cameron Smith has claimed his maiden victory in Greg Norman's league.
There are rumours that more top-10 players will follow soon, much to the annoyance of players like Rory McIlroy.
Related: Cam Smith says LIV win proves doubters wrong
Related: The revelations about Gooch in court documents
Gooch was comfortably inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking before he signed for LIV. He had already claimed his maiden Tour victory at the RSM Classic last November and was (to all intents and purposes) making some fairly decent wedge with a string of good performances.
When he played at LIV's curtain-raising event at Centurion Club in June, he had already made $3million in the 2021-2022 season on the PGA Tour.
So for the 30-year-old American to risk his PGA Tour membership without fully knowing what was going to happen was a little bit surprising. Especially considering he appears to still want to play on the established American Tour and also compete in the majors.
Gooch recently spoke to Alan Shipnuck of The Fire Pit Collective before LIV Golf Chicago, the fifth of eight tournaments the controversial series' inaugural season.
Related: How much they all won at LIV Golf Chicago
One PGA Tour pro reportedly told Shipnuck anonymously: "He always seemed like a nice guy, but now I just want to punch him in the face."
Interesting.
This is because Gooch is a plaintiff in the antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Recently, Phil Mickelson admitted that he was mulling the idea withdrawing himself from legal proceedings.
Gooch also appeared to tick off a few professional players when he made his DP World Tour debut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth a few weeks ago.
He was criticised for reportedly only wanting to play in the event to achieve world ranking points.
When Shane Lowry pipped McIlroy to victory, he took a shot at players like Gooch by claiming his win was "one for the good guys".
Gooch decided to fire that shot straight back at the 2019 Open winner last week at LIV Golf Chicago as Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces GC side won the team element for the fourth straight event.
Related: Phil Mickelson calls for truce in LIV Golf versus PGA Tour
Speaking about his frosty reception since joining LIV, Gooch told Shipnuck: "It was funny. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced."
When he rocked up on the range at the U.S. Open at The Country Club at Brookline, he said he felt like "the hot chick".
What do you make of the current landscape of professional golf? Are you coming round to the idea of LIV? Let us know on our social media channels.
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Ben joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
