How proud is Talor Gooch of his roots in Oklahoma's red dirt? He's ready to represent his home state, even if it means enduring some good-natured heckling in other parts of the country. Best example: At LIV Golf Indianapolis' Party Hole last year, Gooch chose Destiny's Child's "Say My Name" as his walk-up song. Fans cheerfully complied as he teed up his ball. But then Gooch stepped back, reached into his bag, and put on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder jersey. With locals still fuming because their Indiana Pacers had lost the NBA Finals to the Thunder two months prior – with SGA as Finals MVP – you can imagine the quick turn in the crowd's reaction. "Say My Name" quickly became "Boo My Name." "Suddenly everyone's not saying my name, they're saying a lot of other words to me," Gooch recalled with a smile. "It's one of my favorite moments, standing in front of the crowd, putting on the Oklahoma City jersey, and letting the people absolutely cuss me out."
Gooch has told this story often, most recently on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, when his team Smash GC officially unveiled its rebranding to OKGC, establishing Oklahoma as the team's home market. Along with the name change, the team also introduced new brand visuals, which include a bison; a white star with "46" in the center, a nod to Oklahoma's first state flag and its admission as the 46th U.S. state; and a color palette featuring primary colors of mid-dark orange and azure blue.
Gooch, who was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and attended Oklahoma State University, was instrumental in the rebranding process. In his first year as captain, he seized the opportunity to make Oklahoma the first LIV Golf team directly assigned to a U.S. market. Even the location of Tuesday's media event, the Harkins Theatre in Oklahoma City's Bricktown district, was particularly important to him. "I went to Harkins Theatre a lot to watch movies, which, as those of you who are from here know, was here long before the Thunder," Gooch said. "Like most kids in Oklahoma, I grew up with a lot of sports. I wrestled as a kid. I had to make weight once and said I was done with wrestling. So I grew up in the locker room. I grew up with team sports. When LIV came about, I was a proponent from the start. Just knowing the passion of the fans here in Oklahoma, the passion of the people here in Oklahoma, I would say it's a dream come true, but as a kid, you didn't dream of this because it wasn't possible. It's amazing to be a part of something that is now possible, and it's exciting to be a part of what the future will be."
Gooch is not only an inaugural LIV Golf player of the
