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It was the month of October 2023. Talor Gooch had surprised everyone by coming out on top of the season-long leaderboard to be crowned the Individual champion of the year. Moreover, he was also able to showcase his amazing skills with a T2 and a T6 finish at the last two LIV Golf events. However, little did he know that it wouldn’t be enough to card him a major invite in 2024, unlike Joaquin Niemann. Even Jon Rahm finds it peculiar.

The Spanish professional took to an interview ahead of the LIV Golf event in Hong Kong to respond to a query regarding how the majors have been recognizing good players, irrespective of the circuit. However, while responding to the same, the Legion XIII skipper took to call for Gooch to be given an opportunity for the same, all the while expressing his happiness for Niemann.

Jon Rahm calls for a Talor Gooch major entry

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“I think there’s one player that played fantastic all last season,” shared Rahm as he alluded to the American professional before pointing out how he has been a “little bit left out.” Adding on, he expressed, “I think Talor Gooch should be under consideration to possibly get an invite into those majors,” all the while praising his talent.

Additionally, Rahm couldn’t help but express his disbelief at the fact that Gooch wasn’t invited despite his many accolades in 2023, as he said, “If that doesn’t show good golf and being worthy of being in majors, I don’t know what does.” Moreover, he highlighted the need for a “clear path to majors” as he conveyed, “I thought they should be taking everyone under consideration.”

Regardless of the same, he was visibly happy for Niemann and his recent major invites. “It’s very encouraging,” said the 34-year-old, referring to the same. What’s more, he also took note of the fact that “he’s shown the interest of wanting to qualify many different ways,” as he recollected Niemann’s recent wins. Interestingly, he complimented the golfer as he conveyed how he “has played the way you’re supposed to play” all the while backing him up for getting an invite.

Meanwhile, recently, the 2-time LIV Golf champ seems to have bagged yet another invite from another major championship. This makes it his third major entry, following the ones he received from the Masters and the Open Championship.

Joaquin Niemann gets invited to the PGA Championship

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Following his latest win at Jeddah, the Torque GC skipper was invited to the 2024 PGA Championship, which saw Brooks Koepka emerge victorious last year. Previously, the golfer had managed to enter the field of two other majors, making his place on the field for the Open owing to his win at the ISPS Handa Australian Open and receiving an invite for Augusta after his Mayakoba triumph.

One can’t help but respect the LIV Golf pro for striving towards the goal of playing in the majors during the time he got between the events on the circuit. He played at the International Series Oman and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2024, in which he finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. Thus, it made perfect sense when Rahm mentioned, “I think it’s only right that he gets invites.”

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Written by

Allan Abe

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Allan Abe is a Senior Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master’s Degree in English, he has covered many themes in golf as a beat writer, with in-depth coverage of instances of many golfers’ lives, like Bubba Watson and Adam Scott. Allan particularly excels at live coverage and a hole-to-hole analysis of events.
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