‘Bring some good vibes’
Here’s how PGA golfer Talor Gooch turns around Twitter trolls
Talor Gooch was more than a thousand miles away from the heckler.
But through the wonder (or is it plunder?) of social media, the taunt still reached him.
“Three bogeys in a row,” the heckler said. “You are so bad, Talor Gooch.”
Of course, on social media, the message included a lot less punctuation and capitalization and proper spelling, but no matter. It still came through loud and clear during the second round of the Valspar Championship a couple weeks ago.
What was Gooch to do?
Clap back?
Ignore it?
“If there's a chance to kill them with kindness and try to bring some good vibes to a situation,” said Gooch, an Oklahoma native and PGA Tour golfer, “I'm gonna do that.”
But he did way more than that.
His unexpected reaction is one of the many reasons Gooch and fellow Carl Albert High School alum J.T. Realmuto will headline Tuesday's installment of the “Better Conversations” series from the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Their interactive online discussion open to the public will focus on how people can respect others who have opposing views.
Safe to say Realmuto and Gooch will be able to draw from real-world experience.
Realmuto is arguably the best catcher in baseball, but he plays in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love isn't always loving. Fans there once booed Santa Claus, so no one is above criticism.
Gooch, who played at Oklahoma State before his pro career, isn't immune to criticism either. It's the nature of being a professional athlete in an individual sport. But these days, the critics and the hecklers don't even have to be on the course to be heard.
Such was the case a couple weeks ago with @VinkolaJokic, a Twitter user who felt it necessary to remind Gooch of the three-hole stretch of bogeys that kept him from having any chance of making the cut at the Valspar Championships.
Instead of popping @VinkolaJokic, Gooch responded with a couple of laughing emojis.
“Did you bet on me?” Gooch asked. Apparently, @VinkolaJokic wasn't amused. “Me vs. you. Mini golf for 50K,” he replied. ‘That's all I'm worth, but I can easily sink more 4-foot putts than you.”
Gooch: “I was gonna get your Venmo and shoot you whatever money I lost you, but hey, this works better. For me. Just name the time and place, and I'll be there.”
@VinkolaJokic: “Monster Mini Golf in Copiague, New York. Meet me there this Saturday.”
Before all was said and done, Gooch had shared a screen shot of a flight from Tampa to New York. Said he was ready to book it. All he needed was proof that his heckler did indeed have $50,000.
That never came, and alas, neither did the minigolf challenge.
But Gooch did do for a few others what he said he was going to do for his heckler — he paid them what they'd lost betting on him. He sent the money via Venmo, evidence they screenshot and shared, and when one fan just asked for eight bucks so he could get some Chipotle, Gooch sent him $11 and said, “Add guac.” It was fun stuff.
Bottom line, Gooch turned what could've turned ugly into a feel-good moment.
“I got a ton of support,” he said. “People love it.” Maybe the way he responded shouldn't be seen as a rarity, but we know it isn't the norm. Our world has become confrontational, quick to rage, slow to find common ground.
Gooch flipped the script.
He regularly does.
“I think that's a little bit surprising to people because there are a lot of keyboard cowards out there,” he said. “And it's funny, whenever you do kind of turn to kindness, it's like refreshing for people. “That's just kind of who I am and how I was raised.” That's part of the reason why Gooch was eager to be part of “Better Conversations.” His longtime friend Austin Manger, who is a trustee on the Memorial Board, approached him with the idea. Gooch, Manger and Realmuto have been tight since their middle school days in Midwest City, so it was easy to say yes to helping a friend.
But Gooch sees Tuesday's virtual event as a chance to do something special.
“Maybe we can start to change how we as people in today's society can communicate with each other and kind of learn to understand each other, even if we don't necessarily agree,” he said. “Who knows where some of these conversations are going to go?”
Talor Gooch hopes he can help spread a message of unity, respect and understanding, something he tries to do every time he interacts with others.
Even Twitter trolls.