Talor Gooch declined to create a scene over the Presidents Cup ban of LIV Golf athletes (Image: Getty)
Talor Gooch refrained from adding fuel to the fire when asked to “make a stink” about players being banned from the Presidents Cup. The 32-year-old – who joined the Saudi-backed league in 2022 – was a guest on Barstool Sports’ podcast alongside fellow defector Brooks Koepka.
The show, which is hosted by Barstool personalities Big Cat and PFT Commentator, welcomed the golfing pair on the show and it wasn’t long before controversy was attempted to be stirred up. Talking to Gooch, Big Cat urged LIV’s season-long points race winner last season, which earned him $18million (£13.4million), to make a “big stink” about the ban placed on the LIV athletes from the tournament.
He told the Oklahoma native: “You need to make a big stink about it, like ‘this is b******t because I would have been in it, they’re holding me back'”. The reserved Gooch simply responded: “I don’t like causing any chaos.” Before adding: “So I’ll just let them do their thing.”
Since the Presidents Cup falls under the , LIV players have been prohibited from representing either Team USA or the International Team at the Royal Montreal Golf Club this weekend. When asked whether they’d change the rule, Koepka had an optimistic view of golf in the future.
“I think in two years from now, we’ll be laughing about this and I’ll be playing somewhere, it might be a LIV v PGA Tour thing so we’ll see,” the five-time major champion said. Koepka was mentioned by two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler in an interview as he admitted to missing playing alongside him, and Bryson DeChambeau, who now both play on the LIV circuit.
The American signed with LIV in 2022 (Image: Getty)
“I’ve partnered with Brooks and Bryson at Ryder Cups before,” he said last Tuesday. “I’ve never obviously had a chance to play with Rory at the Ryder Cup, but those are two guys I really miss competing against. Brooks has five major championships — five, six? Five. That’s a pretty cool record for him. He’s had a great career. He’s a guy I love competing against.
“You’ve got Bryson, with all his stuff, I think he’s a fun guy to be around. It definitely interested me, and the way things fell together, it seemed to work out nice.It seems like a fun deal.”
The PGA Tour remains in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) over a unification of the sport. While a framework agreement was initially agreed last year to merge, progress has stalled as the men’s professional game continues to be split in two.