The Olympic men’s golf field was determined by International Golf Federation world rankings as of Monday. The IGF rankings mirror the Official World Golf Ranking, which is compiled via a points system based on performance. But the OWGR has declined to assign ranking points to LIV Golf events, citing the Saudi-funded breakaway league’s guarantees of inclusion for several high-profile players, its relative lack of annual turnover and its team tournament format.
In June 2022, soon after the inaugural LIV Golf tournament, the IGF announced it would not change its qualification system to account for LIV golfers.
“Events held during the Olympic qualification period that do not meet the criteria to earn world ranking points therefore do not contribute to the Olympic rankings,” the IGF said in a statement at the time. “We have no plans to modify the qualification system for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
LIV golfers can only accrue OWGR/IGF ranking points if they qualify for major championships, and most of that circuit’s players have plummeted down the rankings since leaving the PGA Tour. But DeChambeau’s strong play at golf’s majors — he has the U.S. Open win plus four other top-10 finishes since leaving the PGA Tour for LIV — has kept him high in the rankings: After his win Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2, he stands 10th.
Countries are limited to four golfers in the 60-player Olympic field, and Scheffler (the world’s top-ranked player), Schauffele (No. 3 and the defending Olympic gold medalist), Clark (No. 5) and Morikawa (No. 7) ranked ahead of DeChambeau (as did No. 8 Patrick Cantlay, who also failed to make the American team despite his tie for third at the U.S. Open). Clark, who won last year’s U.S. Open, hasn’t finished better than a tie for 33rd at the four majors since and has failed to make the cut in three of his past six events.
“Hopefully, one day this game of golf will get figured out and come back together, and I will be able to play [in the Olympics],” DeChambeau said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I’m playing great golf, I’m excited, but ultimately, yeah, am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure, you could absolutely say that,” he continued. “But I made the choices that I made, and there’s consequences to that and I respect it.”
LIV Golf won’t be completely shut out of the Olympics. World No. 9 Jon Rahm and No. 113 David Puig of Spain will be in Paris along with No. 73 Adrian Meronk of Poland, No. 99 Joaquín Niemann of Chile and No. 240 Carlos Ortiz and No. 312 Abraham Ancer of Mexico.
The Olympic women’s golf field will be revealed next week after the Women’s PGA Championship, one of the five majors in women’s golf.
