Growing into greatness
by sam humphreys
A
t least one Oklahoma native, Midwest City’s Talor Gooch, will be competing in the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club. It has been rewarding to watch Gooch’s journey from winning national junior events at age 9 to being a PGA Tour winner, FedEx Cup title contender and one of the game’s rising stars. Mark Felder, executive director of the Oklahoma Golf Association, remembers being introduced to a chest-high Gooch at Shawnee Country Club by his father Ronnie, who noted enthusiastically that he had just shot a 67. “We figured great, that’s his ninehole score, not too bad for a kid,” Felder said. “So he played with Morri (Rose, director of the Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour) and I for nine holes. Well, he beat our brains out. “That’s when we realized the 67 was for 18 holes. “ Mike McGraw, then the head coach at Oklahoma State and now at Baylor, got wind of this young talent and went to see him when he was a seventh-grader playW W W.GOLFOKL AHOMA.ORG
ing in the Red River Challenge, the sea- Viktor Hovland (24). After OSU, he played two years in Canson-ending final event at Dornick Hills in Ardmore between the OJGT players and ada, then a year on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017, where he won the New Sentinel their counterparts in North Texas. Open, had four “The first day I other top-10 finishwatched him, he es and earned his had on an OU hat, PGA Tour card. OU shirt and his In four years bag said Sooners on the PGA Tour, on it,” McGraw Gooch has made a said. “I told Morri continuous rise in that this kid is a the rankings and great player, but broke through for he’s not very smart his first win at the to have all that RSM Classic in Sea Sooner gear when Island last fall. He the OSU coach already had four is following him top-10s and nine around. top-25 finishes “As God is my through March witness, the next during the 2021-22 day he was playing season and has esout of a John Contablished himself rad bag and no OU U.S. Kids champ at age 9. as one of the most gear to be seen. I consistent players on tour. guess Morri got to him.” Not bad for the young man who grew Though his family members were huge Sooner fans, and he listened to a late up playing at John Conrad Golf Course pitch from newly hired OU coach Ryan in Midwest City and just two years ago Hybl, Gooch did wind up signing with was ranked outside of the top 200 in the OWGR. McGraw and OSU and “Early in 2017, he renever missed a tournaalized he had to start ment, a fact recalled doing everything betproudly by instructor ter, working out, nuSteve Ball of Edmond, trition, practice habits, who worked freall of it,” Ball said. “His quently with him as a Callaway contract was youngster and through running out and he was his early professional about out of money career. and thinking he might “He joined a team have to get a job. But he that had Morgan Hoffdid it and he ended up mann, Kevin Tway and having a great year.” Peter Uihlein on it, so Gooch, who played there’s three spots gone, in his first Masters in and yet never missed a April, is eagerly lookstart,” Ball said. “He’s ing forward to reprealways been really good senting the state and when his back is to the Midwest City in the wall. He’s got that fifth Gooch traded crimson for orange. PGA Championship. gear. His dad thinks he Southern Hills is a favorite venue. procrastinates, but he’s clutch.” “I’m super, super pumped,” he said. “It’s Gooch, now 30, has taken a more traditional route to PGA Tour stardom than one of my favorite courses in the world. I those shooting to the top of the World played my first U.S. Amateur there as a juRankings now, the top four of whom at nior in high school in 2009, and it’s really press time were Scottie Scheffler (24), Jon special to come full circle and be playing a Rahm (27), Collin Morikawa (25) and PGA Championship out there.” 2022 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW • GOLF OKL AHOMA
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