Talor Gooch has enjoyed a superb 2023, with the American picking up back-to-back LIV Golf titles in Adelaide and Singapore. However, despite his superb play, which sees him currently top the individual standings on the circuit's order of merit, Gooch has been somewhat overlooked for a potential Ryder Cup spot in September, an event which he hopes he may be part of in two months' time.
Following the news of a merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund, one of the big talking points has been about the future of the Ryder Cup, especially whether LIV players could be involved. Certainly, on current form, given that Gooch is currently in contention at LIV Golf Andalucia, there is a claim as to whether he should feature in Zach Johnson's side at Marco Simone.
"Yeah, a few weeks back when I was in Cabo and woke up one morning and I had 137 texts on my phone and the news had broke of the merger, my immediate thought was, I wonder what this means for Ryder Cup," stated Gooch, who currently sits just inside the World's Top 100.
"If apples were to apples, the guy leading the FedEx Cup and the guy leading the LIV standings, it's like -- I think my play has shown that it's at least worth a discussion. At the end of the day, the better I play, the more that is going to be a discussion hopefully. I've got to go win, and I've got to go prove that I'm worthy of having a discussion about."
Although Gooch revealed that he hasn't spoken to Captain Johnson about the Ryder Cup, there is a possibility that LIV players will feature in the 2023 edition of the event, with Brooks Koepka firmly in the automatic spots for a place in Rome.
Johnson has also been previously questioned about LIV players on his side, with the US Captain largely sidestepping them at the PGA Championship in May. At the time, the 47-year-old claimed that it is “not on my radar right now.”
Many, including the likes of Rory McIlroy, have revealed that, if Koepka were to qualify, he should be allowed to feature in the team tournament. However, Johnson will likely have a selection nightmare in a few months, with the US team's criteria for the Ryder Cup being six automatic spots and six Captain's picks.
Currently, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark and Koepka are almost guaranteed to be in for Rome. With only nine spots remaining that means there will be some unhappy players when September comes around.
