Talor Gooch Confirms He Won’t Attempt to Qualify for U.S. Open or Open Championship

Talor Gooch Opts Out of Major Championships in 2023

LIV Golf’s 2023 champion Talor Gooch has made the decision not to attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open or Open Championship this year, meaning he will not be making a single Major Championship start in 2023.

Despite being one of the hottest players in golf over the past year, with three wins on the LIV Golf League and multiple top-ten finishes, Gooch finds himself ranked 624th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) due to the breakaway circuit not receiving any World Ranking points. This ranking makes it impossible for him to qualify via the top 60 in the OWGR before the U.S. Open or the top 50 before The Open.

When asked if he intended to try and qualify for the last two Majors of the year, Gooch simply responded, “I’m not.” This decision comes after Gooch previously made headlines for his comments about a potential Rory McIlroy Grand Slam victory at the Masters Tournament, suggesting there would be an asterisk next to the achievement if some of the best players were not present.

While Gooch will not be competing in the Major Championships this year, his Smash GC teammates Graeme McDowell and Jason Kokrak have confirmed they will be entering qualifying in hopes of teeing up at Pinehurst No.2 and Royal Troon.

Kokrak stated, “I personally am doing the U.S. Open in Columbus and then the Open in Manchester. I plan on playing both of them.” McDowell added, “Yeah, I’m the same. I’ve entered for both qualifiers and will be pulling hard for this guy [teammate Brooks Koepka] at the PGA Championship while trying to get into a couple Majors myself.”

It seems Gooch has chosen to focus on other aspects of his game this year, while his teammates are eager to showcase their skills on golf’s biggest stages.