Rory McIlroy responds to Talor Gooch’s comments about the Masters

Controversy continues in golf over the emergence of LIV, the Saudi circuit that competes with the PGA. The final chapter of the saga came this Wednesday, when Rory McIlroy says he wants to give LIV player Talor Gooch the “benefit of the doubt” about the comments he said that if the world number 2 wins the Masters to complete the Grand Slam of his career the victory should come with an asterisk because some players who have signed with LIV, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, are could not play at Augusta National as they fell out of the top 50 in the world rankings.

“The Masters is an invitational tournament and they will invite anyone they think deserves an invite“said McIlroy, who will play in the Cognizant Classic starting this Thursday at PGA National, home of what was formerly known as the Honda Classic.

“I think to be fair to Talor, if you read the whole question and then the answer, he didn’t just come out like that. I think whoever interviewed him led him to say that, so I give him a little benefit of the doubt.. He just agreed to what the interviewer asked him,” he added.

Gooch told Australia that “If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his Grand Slam without some of the best players in the world, there will only be an asterisk.. This is truth. “I think everyone wins whenever the majors manage to bring together the best players in the world.”

McIlroy, a three-time FedExCup champion, will play in the Masters for the 16th consecutive year. He lost a four-shot lead in the final round in 2011, played in the final group with winner Patrick Reed in 2018 and his best finish was runner-up in 2022, three shots behind Scottie Scheffler. Gooch played in the Masters twice.