American golf talent Talor Gooch could be playing with fire after picking out Rory McIlroy for praise despite his war of words with LIV Golf boss Greg Norman.
It's no secret that McIlroy and Norman—CEO of the rival competition—are not on the best of terms in the wake of golf's ongoing civil war. That's after McIlroy emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the Saudi-funded series and a prominent proponent for the PGA Tour.
So it may anger 'Shark' to hear LIV defector Gooch naming not just one but two PGA loyalists among his top talents in the world right now. Gooch won a single PGA event before confirming his exit for LIV pastures in May 2022, though it's clear he retains a lot of respect for some of those he left behind.
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" [Jon] Rahm, DJ [fellow LIV rebel Dustin Johnson, Rory," replied the 31-year-old when discussing which players he felt had the potential to beat him when playing at their best. "This is facts, the order is opinion. Everybody else is chasin."
McIlroy, 33, ended 2022 as world No. 1 but has since dropped down to third following a remarkable run of form from Rahm. The Spaniard has won three of his opening five PGA starts in 2023, topping leaderboards at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express and the Genesis Invitational.
Both Europeans are well-deserved in their top-three rankings, with Scottie Scheffler completing that trio at No. 2 in the world. Asked why the American and current Masters champion wasn't included in his list, Gooch replied: "He's incredible. But [when] firing on all cylinders there's only three."
Opening up on his rivalry with Norman, McIlroy explained in December that the feud dated back to 2020 when the scrapped PGL plans arose as an unofficial precursor to the LIV Golf League. The pair had in fact exchanged some nice words for one another as recently as last year before the rivalry unravelled anew when Norman remarked Rory had been 'brainwashed' by the PGA.
"We’ve had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me," McIlroy told the Irish Independent at the time. "I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his a*** as possible.’"
The Northern Irishman and long-time friend Tiger Woods have even called for Norman to quit his job as the de facto face of LIV so that the two parties can progress. 'Shark' more recently fired back by warning his peer to "watch what you say," suggesting their feud is far from over.
As for Gooch, the LIV hopeful may find some awkward glances coming his way when their campaign resumes in Tucson, Arizona on March 17. After all, two-time Open champion Norman doesn't seem like the kind of character one wants to have on their bad side; just ask McIlroy.
