'Discussions Will Be Had' - Talor Gooch On LIV Golf Format Changes Following Jon Rahm’s Move

Talor Gooch has said "discussions will be had" about whether the LIV Golf League moves to a 72-hole format following Jon Rahm's high-profile transfer.

The World No.3 had never openly criticized any player for making the controversial switch between tours, but Rahm did previously mention his reservations about the set-up on multiple occasions - labelling LIV's 54-hole format as "not a golf tournament" and stating his opposition to the lack of a cut.

And some of the talk prior to Rahm's big-money move involved the 29-year-old allegedly wanting to revise a few key aspects of his prospective employer's competition before signing on the dotted line.

Speaking after being unveiled last Thursday, Rahm confirmed he would be asking for a few tweaks to LIV Golf's format.

He said: “For all those things that I like about this movement [LIV], there’s always going to be some things that are not perfect, but that’s the situation. I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and maybe see some changes in the future for the better of the game.”

LIV Golf's 2023 individual champion, Gooch - who last week moved from Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC to Koepka’s Smash GC - said while nothing has been decided yet, conversations around the length of events will probably take place as LIV Golf's looks to evolve ahead of its third year.

Speaking to Australian Golf Digest, Gooch said: “He [Rahm] has been vocal about some stuff he didn’t love, but he wouldn’t have come to LIV if he thought he was going to win 10 tournaments a year and have no competition. He’s a true competitor. It’s beyond exciting [to have Rahm].

“We haven’t had an open forum discussion with all the players. But you get both sides … guys who would welcome it [72 holes] and some guys who are opposed to it. Discussions will be had, and it’ll be interesting to see what comes of it."

While Rahm may be in favor of extending tournaments and potentially introducing a half-way cut, Gooch proposed a mixed-length event depending on the importance of the week - just like in tennis.

Gooch, who won three LIV tournaments last season, continued: “I think LIV Golf was meant to be something different; I think it’s not supposed to be a carbon copy of the rest of professional golf. I lean towards keeping it at 54 holes.

"Part of it too, from my experience on the PGA Tour, was Thursdays are just irrelevant from a fan perspective [except for] only a couple times a year.  

“I’ve always been an advocate of … I think the Majors absolutely should be four rounds, but I don’t necessarily think everything else should be four rounds, almost similar to tennis. We want to do everything we can to make the most entertaining product but [also] the product that’s going to reveal the best golfer.”

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