Talor Gooch: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?

Talor Gooch has a pair of top-five finishes already this season on the PGA Tour. Can he keep up that pace and compete for the FedEx Cup?

With the 2020 portion of the PGA Tour schedule in the books, we at Pro Golf Now will be taking a look at the current top 50, and some selected others, in the current FedEx Cup standings and whether they are contenders or pretenders for the 2021 FedEx Cup. Our latest subject is the current No. 36, Talor Gooch.

Best career FedEx Cup finish: Gooch has played three seasons on the PGA Tour and has made gradual improvement in the postseason each year. He was 139th in his first year on tour, 2018. The next season, Gooch finished 101st. Last year, Gooch had his best finish so far, coming in at 60th place.

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So far this season: The 2020-21 season has been a bit of a roller coaster for Gooch. He started his season at the Safeway Open, where he shot 69-73 and missed the cut.

Gooch’s next start was at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He opened his week with a 66, followed by a 70 on Friday. Still, he was in contention heading to the weekend. But he shot 74-72 to finish in a tie for 37th place.

The following week, Gooch shot 68-71 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. That was not good enough to make the weekend.

However, his stay in Las Vegas got better, and not because he hit it big at the casinos.

Gooch played the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek, where his week was highlighted by a second-round 65. Gooch would ultimately finish in fifth place, his best showing, to that point, this season.

One week later, Gooch played the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club. Again, it was an outstanding second round that boosted Gooch, this time a 63, but he was only able to finish in a tie for 35th place.

Gooch came back at the Houston Open, where he was in the hunt late, due to his final-round 63. But he came up short, finishing in fourth place, his second top-five finish of the season.

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But Gooch was unable to build on that success. In his final start of 2020, he missed the cut at the RSM Classic.

The verdict: Gooch is talented, but he’s not ready to compete with the big boys on a regular basis. He’s a pretender for this year’s FedEx Cup.

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