When selecting the four golfers to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics in Paris next month, the tour the golfer plays on doesn’t technically matter. The politics of the game don’t involve the International Olympic Committee or the International Golf Federation.
So why isn’t U.S. Open winner and PGA Championship runner-up Bryson DeChambeau part of the U.S. team?
The answer is simple, but with a complicated backstory.
The four Americans who will be representing the United States in Paris are Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele, and 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
These are the top four Americans in the latest Official World Golf Rankings. The rankings this week determine the 60-player field for the Summer Olympics. Each country is allowed a maximum of four players on the team, allowing for more countries to be represented in the Games.
DeChambeau is the fifth American in the OWGR, despite being ranked 10th overall. However, he has only earned ranking points in three tournaments this year due to playing on the LIV Tour instead of the PGA Tour. LIV Tour events do not award OWGR points, and this has been a consistent issue since the tour’s inception in 2022.
Despite being a popular player, DeChambeau is not on the U.S. Olympic team, as he did not have the necessary points in the OWGR. The rules state that no changes should be made to accommodate a popular player who didn’t meet the criteria.
Several questions remain about the role of the Olympics in golf and the split between the tours. It’s likely that negotiations to reunite the game are ongoing but progressing slowly.
The absence of DeChambeau from the U.S. team in the Paris Olympics emphasizes the importance of following the established rules and regulations, even if it means missing out on popular players.
