Talor Gooch knew it would be tough to replicate all that he accomplished on the 2023 LIV Golf circuit. And while the Oklahoma native couldn’t match the three individual event titles, the No. 1 ranking and the $18 million top prize this year, his eight top-15 finishes and a slot in the year-end top 10 individual rankings are impressive feats nonetheless. Gooch is easily one of LIV’s best players and loudest supporters.
Still, when it comes to quantifying his success, the greens are far from the only factor in the equation. With a loving family, a thriving non-profit organization and a pen full of bulls (more on that later), Gooch seems content. On the eve of LIV’s season-ending Team Championship in Dallas (September 20 to 22), we spoke to the 32-year-old star about finding happiness, loving Oklahoma and doing some offseason traveling with his wife.
Talor, you’ve done a number of pre-LIV event interviews. You’re a great ambassador for the brand. Why are you so passionate about LIV?
I’ve been a believer from the get-go. I see what team sports can do for not only communities and fan bases, but what they can do for the athlete. The idea of the team concept of LIV was a huge draw for me. I’m just a believer in what LIV is and what it could become. I want to help be a part of getting it to what it can become.
You play on some great courses around the globe. What would two or three of your favorite places be on the tour?
Singapore’s [Sentosa Golf Club] is just a cool place. Last year I won there as well, so I’m a little partial. But man, that was just such a unique part of the world, and the golf course is fantastic. Probably our most fun event and [the event with the] best turnout is when we go to Adelaide, Australia. I think I speak on everyone’s behalf whenever I say we love huge crowds, big turnouts. And that is one of the biggest turnouts we have. It’s so fun seeing such an electric fan base and for them to support the tournament [is huge]. It’s a really fun week.
When you go to Singapore or Dallas or wherever you’re playing that week, are you able to explore the city at all or are you just focused on the greens?
I’m a big food guy, so I love trying some good restaurants in the area. I like exploring, especially on the international level. I’ve been to Chicago and Dallas a bunch. But I’ve never been to Hong Kong, Adelaide, Singapore and Birmingham [England]. It’s fun to get out.
With all the domestic and international traveling, how does it work with family and friends? Do they ever meet you on the road?
I have a wife and two kids. We have a three-year-old girl and a boy that’s about eight months now. So, this year’s been a little bit challenging with having a newborn and figuring out the travel schedule and everything with that. But I try to get my family out with me as often as possible when it’s not too much of a long haul. The international trips make it tough for the family. But pretty much all the domestic events they get to come to.
That’s one of the things that is great about LIV. Rather than playing 30 times a year like I did on the PGA Tour, having 14 events makes it easier to bring the family out on the road. I’m not out on the road for long stretches at a time. It just gives me more time at home, too, which is fantastic.
Oklahoma is home for you, right?
Yeah, that’s always going to be home.
For the reader who’s never been to Oklahoma, what are they missing?
I always say the people, first and foremost. It’s just really friendly and inviting with warm people. It’s a great place to raise a family. As this world gets kind of crazier and crazier, I still think Oklahoma hasn’t lost its marbles yet. We have great food. We have great culture. We have great college sports. We have great lakes. I could go on and on about Oklahoma. It’s still kind of a hidden gem for a lot of people. I’m proud of it. It’s just like any other place — we just don’t have mountains or an actual beach.
What are some of your favorite restaurants around Oklahoma City?
One of my favorite steakhouses anywhere is called Mahogany. There are a couple locations in Oklahoma. And then, one of my favorite places that my wife and I will go to after we’ve been on the road for a bit is this place called Oso Paseo. It’s a tacos-and-margs restaurant. It’s just a really good spot.
Tell me more about the Talor Gooch Foundation.
For years, my wife and I had this idea of starting our own foundation. We’ve been fortunate in our life that we’ve been able to support and do things for others, so we thought, “You know what? Why don’t we use this platform I’ve been given and let’s do something bigger?” So, we decided to start a foundation. It supports, for right now, organizations and people just in Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma.
We really focus on three different causes. One cause is called Positive Tomorrows. It’s a school for homeless kids from six months old to sixth grade. They pick them up —whether it’s at the homeless shelter or if they’re living on grandma’s couch or at a friend’s place — and they bring them in, they clothe them, they feed them and they educate them. Obviously, the curriculum is tailored differently than your traditional public school system, because most of these kids are not only emotionally and socially [challenged], but also educationally they’re just a little behind the norm. They’ve done a great job uplifting these kids. If the parents are still involved, they give them clothes and they help them get a job and help them with interviews and job applications and things of that nature. They’re doing incredible things for the entire family.
Another organization that we’ve partnered with is called Hope Is Alive. It’s an addiction rehabilitation organization that has done incredible work in Oklahoma and abroad. They started in Oklahoma and now they’re in, I believe, seven different states. They have almost 40 homes where they bring in people trying to overcome addiction and just help them. And they have easily the best success rate of any type of organization that is in this space. It’s just really good stuff. We’ve known the founders of it, Lance and Allyson Lang, for a while. I’ve gone to church with them for a while and they’re just really, really good people doing really, really good stuff.
The third focus is junior golf, but I don’t want the foundation to be just focused on golf. But it will always be a part of what we do. We help support the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour, which has competitive tournaments from like 12 to 18 years old. It’s what I grew up playing. It’s part of the reason that I got a chance to play college golf, which vaulted me to my professional career. We want to make sure any kid who wants to play in those events can play in those events and that finances aren’t going to get in the way of that.
Outside of the foundation and golf, what else puts a smile on your face?
Like I said,I have a wife and two kids. Obviously, that brings a lot of joy and a lot of work and everything. But recently, we got into a different sport. I bought a PBR team. I don’t know if you know what PBR is, but there’s a new sector of professional bull riding where they created a team series. There are 10 franchises. I own one of the franchises. It’s a blast to be a part of. It’s a crazy world, but it’s fun.
Teams are broken down in cities like in other sports?
Yessir.
What is yours called?
Besides keeping up with a bull riding team, what does the rest of 2024 look like for you? Any family trips planned?
Yeah, my wife and I are going to do a little five-year anniversary trip out to Napa. We’re going to go drink a little bit of wine and hang out. And then, a couple weeks after that, I’m actually playing another golf tournament — it’s not LIV, obviously — over in Scotland. After that, I’ll be back home for a couple of events for our foundation. And then, the holidays will be here and I’ll be home.
