The war of words between PGA Tour and LIV golfers at the BMW PGA Championship this week continued on Tuesday, with Talor Gooch hitting back at Billy Horschel, who took aim at LIV golfers who are playing in the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) event this week.
“He supports what’s best for his career,” Gooch wrote on Twitter, after pointing out that Horschel had played just six DP World Tour events in his career. “Like all of us do.”
LIV golfers are banned from PGA Tour events, but they are allowed to play in this week’s BMW PGA at the Wentworth Club outside London after a U.K. arbiter temporarily lifted DP World Tour suspensions pending a legal review that is set for February 2023. To be eligible for the event, players must either be in the top 60 of the world ranking (Gooch and Abraham Ancer) or be members of the DP World Tour (Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood).
In all, there are 17 players from LIV in the field this week.
“I honestly don’t think that the American guys who haven’t supported the Tour should be here,” Horschel said earlier this week. “Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch … you’ve never played this tournament, you’ve never supported the DP World Tour. Why are you here?
Billy Horschel and Talor Gooch Getty Images and AP“You are here for one reason only and that’s to try to get world ranking points because you don’t have it [at LIV Golf events]. It’s hypocritical because of what some of these guys have said when they said they wanted to play less golf.”
Gooch, meanwhile, admitted that world ranking points figured highly into his decision to play the event.
“World ranking points and the first time I’ve earned a spot into this event,” Gooch tweeted. “Super excited to play. Name a top-50 player in history who hasn’t chased world ranking points…”
