LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson has never been shy to voice his frustrations. He did exactly that on Friday in defense of fellow LIV member Taylor Gooch.
Gooch is in jeopardy of missing out on the upcoming U.S. Open due to LIV Golf players not receiving points in the Official World Golf Rankings system. Gooch has won back-to-back LIV Golf events but received no points for doing so and continues to fall down the world golf rankings.
The top 60 players in the world golf rankings receive an automatic exemption for the event. Gooch sits at 60th and will likely fall out of this position due to his status as a LIV Golf member.
This means that Gooch will likely miss out on the U.S. Open despite his dominant stretch of golf at LIV unless he plays extremely well at the upcoming PGA Championship that he qualifies for.
Mickelson took issue with Gooch’s situation, blasting USGA CEO Mike Whan on social media.
“Hey Mike, what about changing a rule and making it retroactive to exclude someone who has already qualified? How can Talor Gooch not take that personally? It’s a direct attack on him and his career. How does it benefit the USGA or U.S. Open? It doesn’t. Just a **** move.”
Many around the golf world offered their opinion on Mickelson’s stance.
USGA is also hurting the fans for not being able to watch the best in world compete @PGA
— KJ (@KJ3Coast) May 5, 2023
Hey @TalorGooch, open invite to watch @PhilMickelson play at the @usopengolf from the other side of the ropes with the people who don’t hate golf like @USGAMike does…
— JB (@JBunn24) May 5, 2023
USGA denies it’s “retroactive.” If it wasn’t retroactive Talor Gooch would still have his exemption!! pic.twitter.com/SeRlA0GqPL
— LIV Golf Enthusiast (@MaddenMonopoly) May 5, 2023
This is far from Mickelson’s first time taking exception at LIV members not receiving OWGR points. He recently discussed the issue in a social media rant where he blasted the current ranking system.
It is an unfortunate situation for Gooch, but LIV members were all warned before joining the controversial league. Phil Mickelson and company are now dealing with the repercussions.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.