'Hopefully We Can Sway Them A Little Bit' - Gooch Eyes Late Ryder Cup Bid

Talor Gooch hopes that yet another LIV Golf victory this week could help sway Zach Johnson in handing him a Ryder Cup wildcard spot.

Gooch leads the individual LIV Golf standings this season after a prolific campaign that has seen him win three of the nine events so far and pocket around $13.5 million in prize money.

He's not been without his problems though, with the controversy about him missing the US Open adding to his struggles in golf's biggest events - finishing T34 at the Masters before missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the Open.

Team USA captain Johnson has admitted to not following LIV Golf tournaments, but if Gooch could win for a fourth time in 10 events then he would really press his claims.

The 31-year-old, though, knows that he is up against it but just hopes more eye-catching displays in the next two LIV Golf League events in the USA could further his case.

"I think that what I think doesn't matter for it unfortunately," said Gooch. "So I'll just continue to play good golf and let the people whose opinions matter, hopefully we can sway them a little bit."

Working in his favour is that LIV Golf play at the Greenbrier and then Bedminster in the next two weeks so even Johnson may catch some of the action with it being played in the United States.

And RangeGoats teammate Harold Varner III says Gooch is desperate to make Team USA even though it's tough for him to comment on it.

"I think that's a tough question," said Varner. "No s*** he wants to play on the Ryder Cup team, and some people think he should be on the team. But if he's playing, I would say yes every time. Who doesn't want to represent their country?

"He's playing absolutely great golf, so I think it's a great question, but also I think it's kind of hard for him to sit here and be like, yeah, I don't think I should be on the Ryder Cup team. You know what I mean? I think that's very difficult."

Brooke Koepka is the only LIV Golf player that will likely qualify automatically for the USA Ryder Cup team, with Dustin Johnson vying for a possible pick given he had a perfect record at the last event in 2021.

With USA vice-captain Fred Couples recently revealing that Max Homa, Cameron Young and Jordan Spieth were set to get wildcards - it leaves the likes of Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns and Tony Finau vying for spots from the PGA Tour.

It would take something special for Gooch to elbow his way into that picture, but another victory at one of the next two LIV Golf events may just be enough for Johnson to sit up and take notice.