LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Talor Gooch wasn’t planning to be at Valhalla this week. He and his wife, Ally, had scheduled a trip to Las Vegas to take advantage of a break in the LIV Tour schedule.

Then Gooch checked his inbox and found an invitation to the PGA Championship. Just a simple note. No politics, just tacit recognition from the PGA of America that it was serious about assembling the best 156-player field for golf’s second major of the year.

For Gooch, among the first wave of defectors to Saudi-backed LIV and winner of the league’s individual championship last year, it offered hope that at least when it comes to the sport’s biggest stages, sanity may ultimately prevail.

“This is the first time that LIV play has been recognized, which I hope is a step in the right direction,” Gooch said after wrapping up a practice round on Wednesday.