Rory McIlroy made it back-to-back Masters wins on Sunday. (Image: Getty)
LIV Golf star Talor Gooch previously suggested that Rory McIlroy’s Masters win should be marked with an asterix. The quest for a Green Jacket had famously evaded the Northern Irishman’s grasp until his dramatic play-off win over Justin Rose saw him finally get his hands on Augusta National silverware before following up with another famous win on Sunday.
However, the suggestion from the American golfer was that any success in the tournament would be blemished due to the lack of competition from the controversial breakaway league. When LIV Golf emerged in 2021, it proved to be a highly divisive distraction during a time where there was an exodus of players to the riches of the Saudi Arabian-backed competition. Some of the sports’ biggest names and most successful players transitioned over to a format that promised a new era of golf.
Twelve months ago, the 36-year-old finally got his opportunity to adorn the Green Jacket and sit at the top table at Augusta, completing a career grand slam in the process. He joined an illustrious group this time around to become only the fourth player, after Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
Gooch’s comments came during the rift between the tour and LIV, with the prospect of some stars missing out over a lack of tournament points. The American suggested that winning the Masters would be lessened by the lack of competition from those LIV golfers.
“If Rory McIlroy goes and completes his (career) grand slam without some of the best players in the world, there’s just going to be an asterisk,” Gooch told Australian Golf Digest in 2024. “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.”
McIlroy was among the vocal opposition to the breakaway league after it initially sparked interest. The 36-year-old previously revealed that he hadn’t been approached to make the lucrative switch to the different format but when pressed on Gooch’s comments, McIlroy opted against stoking the fire ignited by the bitterness between the two organisations, LIV and the PGA.
Rory McIlroy’s 2026 Masters triumph meant he joined an illustrious group. (Image: Getty)
Speaking in 2024, he said: “Look, the Masters is an invitational and they’ll invite whoever they think warrants an invite. “I think to be fair to Talor, if you read the entire – the question and then the answer, it’s not as if he just came out with that.
“I feel like whoever did the interview led him down that path to say that, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt there a little bit. He just agreed with what the interviewer asked.
“At the same time, Joaquin Niemann got an invite, and I played with him a few weeks ago in Dubai, and he went down to Australia and won. He has been chasing his tail around the world to get this, play his way into Augusta or show enough form to warrant an invite. I don’t know if the same can be said for Talor.”
During McIlroy’s maiden win, 12 LIV golfers, including seven previous champions received invitations to the Masters but several failed to move beyond halfway with two vying for victory on the final day. This year, 10 took part in the competition namely Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin.
A sensational final round from Hatton saw him go into the clubhouse 10 under after a six-under 66 on the final day. The Englishman was forced to watch on in anticipation of a potential McIlroy slip from 12 under but he stood firm to taste Masters glory for a second time.
McKibbin struggled and missed the cut for the third round while Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, managed to make it to the final day but with three bogeys in the final round, he finished one over par. LIV’s Sergio Garcia hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when he damaged the tee box and broke his driver after an outburst following a wayward drive at Augusta, as he was forced to apologise.