LIV Golf, The Masters and Talor Gooch’s asterisk

LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch has developed a penchant for making explosive statements. An interview with him for the Australian Golf Digest reflected his opinion that if Rory McIlroy wins his career Grand Slam at Augusta next April, there should be an “asterisk” on the result due to the fact that “not all the best players” will be in the field.

As expected, Talor Gooch’s comments have sparked an extraordinary controversy in the world of golf. And although what the individual champion of the 2023 LIV Golf Season said may seem like a joke to some, it is not without several edges that are not at all funny.

Talor Gooch’s famous “asterisk” is a double-edged sword that the player did not measure before using. By his own analysis, his victories in LIV Golf are as irrelevant as his detractors claim, as he has only played against a handful of the world’s current top players and in a very limited field.

The same asterisk should be placed next to a long list of titles that the golf world considers brilliant, because this or that player was not present for this or that reason. It is not worth the effort to be specific in each case.

However, some reasoning can be salvaged from what Talor Gooch said. That is, if you look at the subject from as unbiased a perspective as possible.

LIV Golf’s Right to Exist

LIV Golf has had many detractors since it was just an idea, including the players it has recruited to its league thanks to its seemingly endless pockets. However, the circuit has as much right to exist as any other institution, as long as it complies with all the laws of the land (and so far no one has proven that it does not).

It is quite another thing for LIV Golf to have the same status as the other top golf circuits, so to speak. Status is not an inalienable condition of existence, it is something that must be earned. In the case of golf, by meeting pre-established criteria.

This is where the issue comes to a head. In essence, LIV Golf does not and cannot meet two criteria of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Let’s take a closer look:

1. Players must qualify to play in each tournament in accordance with the qualifying criteria: LIV Golf players have not qualified to play in the Circuit or any of its tournaments. They are contracted members of the league and have the right to play in all events.

There are exceptions, as four players earned their spot in the league (one through the Asian Tour’s International Series and three through a promotional tournament). However, there are at least 13 (captains) who cannot be relegated even if they have the worst performance in the circuit.

4. Limited Field/No Cuts: LIV tournaments could be what the OWGR calls “Limited Field and Special Tournaments”. The problem with this is that these are two exceptional categories that are approved by the OWGR on a case-by-case basis and at the request of the tours. In order for LIV tournaments to receive this recognition, the exception would have to apply as a rule, as these are all LIV events. Therefore, LIV Golf does not meet this criterion.

Logically, these are not the only requirements established by the OWGR, but they are the core of the problem. Everything else could be solved somehow without changing the rules.

The Masters on the subject

The OWGR is far from a perfect system. In fact, it’s arguable that there are other rankings that better reflect the reality of professional golf. However, it’s not like the OWGR is run by four high school kids in their parents’ garage in their spare time. It is, at least for now, the system used to qualify for The Masters (and the rest of the majors).

The fact that LIV events do not count toward the OWGR leaves players on that circuit with few options in their quest to play The Masters, all of them unappetizing. Virtually, their only option is to seek points in tournaments on other circuits, as some have done with good results.

However, one of the reasons LIV players went to this circuit was to play less and get paid more. Although the financial aspect remains, playing more than 13 or 14 tournaments a year was not in their plans, and those who have done it are mainly those who feel they are in a position to transcend in professional golf.

Some LIV players have resigned themselves to simply not playing The Masters, although they have not done so willingly. Others, like Talor Gooch, have become standard-bearers for claiming points in LIV tournaments. Why hasn’t Gooch sought points on the Asian Tour or the DP World Tour? It’s an interesting question that may have more than one answer.

Should LIV Golf receive world ranking points?

A total of 13 players currently on the LIV Golf roster will play in The Masters 2024. In the group are the main stars of the circuit, and out were some players who may or may not be considered with merits to be at Augusta National. The main case is that of Talor Gooch.

However, Gooch’s merits are not reflected in the qualifying criteria for the event, or in other words, the rules leave him out. Again, the solution (from the LIV perspective) would be to change the rules.

And the rules should be changed in both directions. LIV events should get world ranking points, but they should also meet the established criteria. This is not unique to the OWGR, but realistically, it doesn’t look like another world ranking system will be officially used in the near future.

The PGA Tour will fight as hard as it can against a scenario where LIV Golf has ranking points. But if those led by Greg Norman meet the criteria for eligible tournaments, on what grounds would they be denied points..?

LIV could even explore the idea of having an Eligible Tour (such as the Asian Tour) co-sanctioning their tournaments, which would give them ranking points. However, in this scenario, they would also have to give in on several issues that they have steadfastly refused to do.

Barricading themselves in has only made the problem worse. Let’s hope that everyone involved can meet in the middle for the good of golf.