PGA star Matt Wallace has taken aim at Talor Gooch's decision to join LIV Golf, insisting that the latter's £19million winnings from the competition do not justify his move.
American Gooch joined the breakaway LIV tour a year ago, though it took him until last month to win his first event. That came in Adelaide, before he then finished top of the standings in Singapore one week later.
Gooch was handed a £7.5m total prize pot for those two victories, with £6.5m coming from his individual performance and £1m for his Range Goats team. That took his total winnings from LIV to £19m since he made his debut, though he has plummeted in the world rankings.
He now sits 60th despite his double win and unless he finishes in the top 15 at the USPGA Championship, Gooch will fail to qualify for next month's US Open. Those sporting ramifications has led Wallace to conclude that switching to LIV Golf is not worth the money.
“I saw my mate Talor Gooch has earned £19 million on LIV now or something. Great for him. But there was an article online saying that his decision must be justified and I look at it and go what’s justified about it? That he’s won £19 million?" Wallace told the Daily Telegraph.
"He got no world ranking points, no FedEx Cup points, nothing from it apart from a cheque and a trophy and he’s beaten a few players on there. Awesome. He’s probably playing the best golf in the world but that is kind of all he’s got from it.
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“I know he likes his wine, so he’ll have bought a bunch, but for me the things that get me up in the morning are world ranking points, FedEx Cup points - and then the money. Because the first two take care of the third. That’s what gets me buzzed.
“On that Tour, you can’t miss a cut and experience those lows. You’re just taking the easy road, which I don’t have any qualms about with some of the players. But some of the other players that have gone, well it feels like their careers have kind of ended a little short."
Gooch won one PGA Tour event before his switch to LIV, winning the RSM Classic in November 2021. Wallace meanwhile has endured a run of struggles, missing the cut at The Players Championship in March.
That was the fifth time in eight events that he exited a tournament early, seeing him fall outside of the top 200 in the world rankings. He recovered from that setback to finish seventh in Tampa.
The Englishman followed that up by winning the Corales Puntacana Championship at the end of March. It was a victory that has guaranteed his place on the US tour for the next two years and ensured entry into the US Open.
Despite his lowly ranking in the world standings, the 33-year-old is eyeing a place in the European Ryder Cup squad for October's edition of that tournament. Players on the LIV tour have been banned from competing, opening the door to Wallace's inclusion.
