Justin Thomas: I’m not criticizing Talor Gooch for his Ryder Cup remark
Justin Thomas: I’m not criticizing Talor Gooch for his Ryder Cup remark. A few media sources read that as a direct criticism of Gooch, but Thomas clarified that he wasn’t being sarcastic while also stating that Gooch was absolutely improper in saying that.
When Justin Thomas claimed in a post-round interview earlier this week that the full house at the JP McManus Pro-Am seemed ‘very close to a Ryder Cup today,’ Talor Gooch may have laughed off the analogy, but Justin Thomas insisted that he wasn’t making fun of him.
Pic Source- https://www.golfdigest.com/story/even-at-world-no-1-justin-thomas-is-underappreciated
Gooch was mocked online over the weekend when he said that the LIV Portland event’s atmosphere resembled one of the frantic team competitions after his team’s triumph (which netted them an additional $750,000 each).
Gooch remarked that he can’t believe there’s a whole heck of a lot of difference. ‘I haven’t played in a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup.’ Even his LIV teammates Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed, who have participated in a number of US team competitions, appeared to chuckle at the idea.
Thomas took part in the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland a few days later, which featured some of the biggest stars in the game, including Tiger Woods. At Adare Manor, the venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup, tens of thousands of ardent spectators showed up. Thomas claimed that while playing the 36 holes of the competition, he received a standing ovation almost at every tee and green.
Earlier this week, he remarked, ‘I’m just blown away by what today is, what this weekend has been, and what this week has been. It’s going to be perfect. Beautiful and seeming ideal for spectators, the golf course is lovely. Today kind of reminds me of the Ryder Cup, I guess.’
At the Scottish Open on Wednesday, Thomas insisted that his comment was not directed at the opponent. Just by delivering a quote like that, ‘I believe he gave himself enough credit.’
‘Yes, those are incomparable. When you stand on the first tee in France and there are 10,000 spectators there, there is no event on the Tour that can compare to the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. At that point, I feel like I wouldn’t even be able to put a golf ball on a tee because I am so nervous and my hands are shaking so badly. Yeah, I probably wouldn’t say anything about stating one is similar to the other because they aren’t.’