Gooch Getting LIV Extension, but Ownership Stake Unresolved

Talor Gooch has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with LIV Golf, a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells Front Office Sports.

The new deal could be announced before LIV’s 2026 season begins in February, and it comes in the wake of Gooch being named captain of the Smash GC team following Brooks Koepka’s departure from LIV with one year left on his own contract.

Gooch joined LIV in 2022, reportedly receiving an eight-figure signing bonus, but his initial four-year contract expired after the 2025 season. The 34-year-old has made more than $50 million in individual earnings at LIV, more than five times the $9.27 million he made on the PGA Tour. In 2023, he won LIV’s individual championship, which came with an $18 million bonus.

With Koepka leaving LIV, Smash GC has one open roster spot to fill alongside Gooch, Jason Kokrak, and Graeme McDowell. The team finished fourth (out of 13 teams) in the final 2025 season standings, taking home a $4 million team bonus.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to officially take on the captaincy role for the 2026 season,” Gooch said in a statement last week. “I’m excited and ready to embrace this new leadership and career challenge.”

Equity Questions Linger

Still to be determined is what will happen with Koepka’s 25% equity stake in Smash GC. The original structure for LIV gave player captains 25% ownership of their teams, with the league owning the other 75%. There is no public valuation on Smash GC or other LIV teams.

Gooch has used his LIV earnings to invest in other professional sports entities with his business partners in recent years, acquiring the Professional Bull Riders franchise Oklahoma Wildcatters, and the Sport Fishing Championship’s Mississippi Blues Angling Club. Gooch has also invested in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Many contracts for players who left the PGA Tour to join LIV expired after the 2025 season or are set to next year. Sergio Garcia, captain of Fireballs GC, announced a multiyear extension with LIV earlier this month, while Bryson DeChambeau, captain of Crushers GC, recently said negotiations for his own new deal are ongoing.

LIV did not comment for this story.