Report: USGA denies changing LIV Golf player's U.S. Open exemption
The USGA has denied the LIV Golf player's claim that they changed their U.S. Open qualifications and, by a result, his exemption "retroactively."
LIV Golf's Talor Gooch claimed that the USGA "retroactively" changed its qualifications for the 2023 U.S. Open, and as a result, made him no longer exempt into the tournament. Now, the USGA is denying those claims.
Gooch, who won his maiden LIV Golf victory last week in Adelaide, went on the 73rd Hole Podcast following his victory where he explained his beliefs on his major tournament status:
Related: LIV Golf's Taylor Gooch OUT of U.S. Open with rule change: "It only affects me!"
He then added:
However, the USGA did not follow the same guidelines as The Masters, and, as a result, Gooch did not earn an automatic exemption into the major.
He told the podcast:
On Friday, a USGA spokesperson clarified the situation to Golf Digest and denied Gooch's claim that changes were made "retroactively." They said:
The Masters has also recently adjusted its qualifications for the 2024 tournament, saying exemptions include players who qualify "and are eligible to play" in the PGA Tour's Tour Championship, per Golf Digest.
Gooch is currently on Sentosa Island for the LIV Golf Singapore event which he leads by one stroke after the first round.
Related: LIV Golf Singapore: Leader Talor Gooch explains his pixie dust theory
And while he may need to find a new route to gain access to the U.S. Open in June, he did recently receive an invitation to a sooner major championship:
Just got my invite to the PGA Champ now just in a position where I can play well and get in that top 60. Wish this wasn’t the case, but not an unfamiliar place.
— Talor Gooch (@TalorGooch) April 28, 2023
The PGA Championship is set for mid-May at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
