The emergence of the LIV Tour has changed the landscape of the golf community in a major way. Stealing away some of the largest names in the sport at a costly price tag, it has become an extremely controversial storyline. While jumping ship to the LIV Tour may make the golfers ineligible for PGA events the players were given the chance to play in the Open Championship which is currently underway. The members of LIV have had a strong showing thus far in the tournament.

The controversial topic remains in the headlines and has been a topic of discussion around the tournament. Talor Gooch, who shot a 3-under 69 on Friday to sit seven under after the first two rounds, made some waves for his comments about the performance of the members of the LIV Tour, as captured by ESPN. As Gooch put it:

“Everybody, it feels like, is against us, and that's OK. Like you said, it's kind of banded us together, I think.”

“I think there's some strong players [in LIV], no doubt. The credentials of everyone speaks for themselves… It's obviously cool for me to see other guys that are out there playing well. We've caught a lot of flak for what we've done here recently. I think one thing that cannot be questioned is the quality of players that are there.”

Article Continues Below
Related Golf News
Nick Saban and Ryan Day walk the 14th fairway during the Workday Golden Bear Pro-Am at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on May 28, 2025.
Ohio State football earns new fan in Justin Thomas at Nick Saban’s expenseKendall Capps ·
Collin Morikawa walks on the 14th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow
Collin Morikawa shuts down cheating notion at The MemorialKendall Capps ·
Jack Nicklaus speaks to media prior to the start of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on May 27, 2025.
Jack Nicklaus’ true feelings about Rory McIlroy’s Memorial Tournament snubNathan Yasis ·
Atlanta, Georgia, USA; PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan presents Scottie Scheffler the FedEx Cup after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament.
PGA Tour making big change that will catch golfers’ attentionChristopher Hennessy ·
Will Zalatoris during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow
PGA Tour fan favorite Will Zalatoris shares unfortunate injury updateKendall Capps ·
Chisato Iwai of Japan hits a tee shot at the first hole during the first round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament.
Chisato Iwai routs the field to claim 1st LPGA titleMiguel La Torre ·

While you can debate the morality of the move, it is tough to dispute the talent of the members of the LIV Tour. A total of 23 players on the breakaway tour qualified for the 2022 Open Championship and have won a combined total of 16 majors.

Following Day 1 of the Open, many of the LIV members are in the mix for the tournament's leaders. Dustin Johnson is currently in third place and is nine under par through the first two rounds. Talor Gooch is tied for sixth after shooting seven under par through his first two rounds. Patrick Reed, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Abraham Ancer, Sergio Garcia, and Bryson DeChambeau have also played well and are a few strokes under par.