Bryson DeChambeau has established himself as one of the best golfers in the world with his performance at majors during golf’s 2024 season.
Despite DeChambeau’s strong performance, he won’t represent his country at the Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old couldn’t make up enough ground at the 2024 U.S. Open to qualify over the other Americans on Team USA’s four-man squad.
How did DeChambeau come up short in his pursuit of an Olympic bid? It’s all about his association with LIV Golf and the disconnect between that tour and the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
Why isn’t Bryson DeChambeau going to Olympics?
DeChambeau isn’t going to the Olympics because of his standing in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
DeChambeau entered the U.S. Open ranked 38th overall in the OWGR. That was a vast improvement upon his 155th ranking at the end of the 2023 season, and he will likely continue to move up after his strong showing at the 2024 U.S. Open.
Still, DeChambeau’s improvement won’t be enough to place him among the four top Americans in the OWGR, who all rank within the top 10. The highest DeChambeau could get with a win was 10th in the OWGR.
If DeChambeau were playing on the PGA Tour, he would almost certainly be among the top-four ranked Americans. He may even be ranked as a top-five player in the world.
However, LIV Golf events aren’t recognized by the OWGR. The rankings system objects to the tour’s 54-hole format, the minimal turnover within the field from week to week and season to season, and the guarantees of inclusion for players regardless of performance.
As such, DeChambeau doesn’t earn OWGR points for his LIV Golf events. He only earns them at major events, so while he has done well enough in those to rocket toward the top 20, he won’t get high enough to displace the top Americans competing for spots in Paris, like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.
