Talor Gooch Fires Back After Horschel BMW PGA Criticism

Talor Gooch has hit back at Billy Horschel after the defending champion named him as one of the players who should not be playing the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Taking to Twitter, and quoting a golf journalist’s tweet containing Horschel’s take on things, 30-year-old Gooch, who was one of the first PGA Tour players to quit and join LIV Golf, listed Horchel’s events played, accusing him of only playing six DP World Tour events since turning pro, and questioning whether he was paid to appear in some of those.

Horschel called out Gooch, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak as players he didn’t think should be participating at Wentworth, saying, “You are here for one reason only and that's to try to get World Ranking points”. LIV events do not currently award OWGR points, meaning top-50 ranked players like Gooch are in danger of dropping down and missing out on invites to Majors that are afforded to the world’s top 50. Listing Horscel’s limited appearances on the DP World Tour, Gooch concluded: “He supports what’s best for his career. Like all of us do.”

Jon Rahm, while not going as far as to name names, also questioned why some of the players who have not regularly supported DP World Tour events are in the Wentworth field. Having exonerated the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westood and Graeme McDowell as they have “dedicated their entire lives to the European Tour”, and even Patrick Reed who has “shown some interest and earned his right” to play at Wentworth, Gooch is one of those who lies firmly in Rahm's crosshairs.

When a follow up question on Twitter asked if Horschel and Rahm had a point in saying he was only there for the world ranking points, Gooch replied: “World ranking points and first time I’ve earned a spot into this event. Super excited to play. Name a top 50 player in history who hasn't chased world ranking points…”

Gooch qualified to play at Wentworth because he is ranked inside the top 60 in the world. He had a world ranking of 35 when he joined LIV but has fallen to 46 and is likely to fall out of the top 50 soon unless he wins more points. He has finished in the top-10 in all four LIV Golf events, banking over $2.5million, while his 4Aces GC have won the last three team titles, earning each member a further $2.25million in total.