What if Kurita ignored TF 3 and went straight to Leyte gulf? The carriers probably wouldn't have been ordered back until he reached it (there was confusion about the identity or intent of the center force until it actually began attacking) and then it could've been too late.
He can't ignore Taffy 3. If he does Taffy 3 pulls away to the squalls as it tried historically and without the pressure of an attack all three Taffy's have time to rearm their strike aircraft. Then instead of facing desperate delaying attacks Kurita is facing a mass strike of 350 properly armed planes which is probably enough to end his attack by itself. If it isn't there are 60 destroyers guarding the landing area plus 4 cruisers and Oldendorf's battleships which massively outclass Kurita's force. He also had quite a bit of steaming from where he encountered Taffy 3 to the landing area which gives TF 38.1 time to launch a strike.
All of this ignores that considering the aggressive training the IJN instilled there was no way that he was going to ignore carriers under his guns even if he had properly identified them.