Talor Gooch, David Puig Land PGA Championship Invitations

Two LIV Golfers are headed to Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky for the PGA Championship, as the PGA of America has given them Special Exemptions to the event, it was announced today.

Both Talor Gooch and David Puig received special invitations to the PGA Championship later this month, it was confirmed.

Gooch confirmed his invitation on X, accepting his spot that was set aside for the PGA Championship:

Looking forward to Valhalla next week!
Thank you for the invitation @PGA 🙏🏼 See y’all there. pic.twitter.com/0Rcm652KMP

— Talor Gooch (@TalorGooch) May 6, 2024

Additionally, David Puig will also be attending this year’s PGA Championship after he was given a special invitation. Puig joined LIV Golf in 2022 as an amateur and turned pro later that year.

He joined Team Fireballs earlier this year with Captain Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, and Eugenio Chacarra.

Gooch, on the other hand, plays with Smash Golf Club, captained by LIV Singapore winner Brooks Koepka.

No Asterisk

The PGA Championship will not need an asterisk this year, as Gooch and other LIV Golfers were given permission to play in the tournament.

The asterisk comes from Gooch’s comments about whether Rory McIlroy’s Career Grand Slam would have legitimacy if he had won The Masters in April:

“If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there’s just going to be an asterisk. It’s just the reality. I think everybody wins whenever the majors figure out a way to get the best players in the world there.”

Gooch continued with comments about the Majors and their resentment of LIV Golf:

“I think the majors have kind of shown that they’re not getting on board with LIV. Jaco went outside of LIV and played some great golf, and they rewarded him for that. So, hopefully, the day will turn when the majors decide to start rewarding good play on LIV. Hopefully, that’ll be sooner than later.”

It seems his wishes have been granted. LIV is undoubtedly getting the recognition it deserves, and players who have proven their worth on the tour are now getting invitations to the Majors, which only increases their legitimacy as the best field available for competition.

Maybe the Major Winners would not need an “asterisk” without LIV Golfers, but the more high-quality players, the better.

Gooch missed the cut at the PGA Championship last year.

Cover Image via Golf Digest