Talor Gooch’s status for the 2023 U.S. Open in June at The Los Angeles Country Club is uncertain in wake of a USGA rule change on exemptions affecting LIV golfers for the event during its annual review, and six-time major champion and fellow LIV golfer Phil Mickelson isn’t happy. Mickelson, exempt into the U.S. Open after winning the 2021 PGA Championship, scrutinized the USGA and its CEO, Mike Whan, on social media Friday.
While Gooch qualified for the Tour Championship, he was not eligible to play at East Lake as a result of his defection from the PGA Tour to LIV. The USGA later ruled that both qualification and eligibility for the Tour Championship were necessary in order for a player to receive a U.S. Open exemption based off that event alone. Gooch later told the 73rd Hole podcast that the rule change had caught him off guard.
Golfweek reported a USGA spokesperson, via email, wrote, “the change was not made retroactively, but rather as a part of our annual review process and included within several other changes made to the criteria for the upcoming 2023 [U.S. Open] championship.” That explanation did not suffice for Mickelson, however, who adamantly defended Gooch on social media while firing shots at the USGA.
Gooch, who became LIV Golf’s first back-to-back winner in April, ranks 60th in the Official World Golf Rankings. The top 60 players as of both May 22 and June 12 are exempt into the field, which puts him right on the cutline should he maintain or improve his ranking by either of those dates.
LIV Golf positioning, however, does not currently result in Official World Golf Rankings points for participating players. That means the only opportunity for Gooch to earn points before the U.S. Open is during the second major of the season: the 2023 PGA Championship later this month at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Gooch finished in a tie for 20th last May when the event was held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.