Talor Gooch calls Asiad Country Club a shot-maker’s course. The OKGC captain showed Friday why it’s a terrific fit for his game.
Gooch shot a 7-under 63 in the second round of LIV Golf Korea to grab the 36-hole lead at 8 under, one shot ahead of Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau. Five players are tied for third at 5 under – Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith, Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, HyFlyers GC’s Scott Vincent, 4Aces GC’s Thomas Pieters and Crushers GC’s Charles Howell III.
Gooch’s OKGC team, playing just their second tournament since a name change and rebrand, have a one-stroke lead at 14 under over the Crushers, with Ripper GC in third.
Gooch, the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion, will be looking for his fifth individual title this weekend; two of his previous titles have come at Valderrama, the host course at next week’s LIV Golf Andalucia and another shot-maker’s layout. It appears he’s finding his form at just the right time.
“I wish I could say it’s as easy as picking a time to play great because if I could do that, I would just do it all the time,” he said.
Gooch opened the season with four top-20 finishes but finished T43 and T39 in his last two starts. On Friday, he produced eight birdies, starting with a chip-in on his second hole, the par-4 ninth. He birdied six of his last eight holes to surge to the lead.
“The game still doesn’t feel great, but we’re working hard, and we’re working in the right direction,” said Gooch, who entered the week ranked 29th in points but is projected to move to fifth with a win. “… Hopefully we can just kind of keep it going and get this train rolling.”
DeChambeau, the 18-hole co-leader, shot a 2-under 68 that included 11 pars in his final 12 holes. He hit just 8 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens in regulation.
“My putting saved me today,” he said. “I felt like I was hitting it really well yesterday, driving it well, and today just kind of went sideways.”
Home favorites Korean Golf Club are in solo seventh, led by newcomer Doyeob Mun, who shot his second consecutive 68 to join Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia in a tie for eighth. That leave him just four shots off the pace on a course in which he’s very familiar with on the KPGA Tour.
Mun is making the most of his opportunity after a spot opened up due to the team’s roster shakeup.
“I’ve actually never imagined that I would win, but if I do, this week would definitely be magical,” said Mun, the current KPGA Tour points leader. “So being able to actually play LIV Golf and getting a seat, that was super lucky, but also playing with all these giants, neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder, it will have been a memorable week. Let’s see how I play tomorrow.”
Tom McKibbin is 11th overall on two-under with Graeme McDowell a shot further back in 23rd.
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