Another week, another Olympic roster rant. This time, it’s men’s Golf.
Despite his win Sunday at the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Bryson DeChambeau will not represent Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Olympics compiles a 60-player field determined by the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), and DeChambeau did not qualify... because the United States is too good.
Here's how the golfers are selected:
The top 15 golfers according to the OWGR are automatically selected to play in the Olympics. However, the Olympic committee also sets a four-player limit per country. While Team USA has nine of the top 15 golfers on the OWGR, Patrick Cantlay (8), Bryson DeChambeau (10), Brian Harman (11), Sahith Theegala (14), and Max Homa (15) will not make the trip across the pond.
After the top 15 golfers are selected (and five USA golfers are weeded out), the Olympic committee selects the rest of the field by rank, with no more than two golfers selected per country. For example, Tom Kim (#26) and Byeong Hun An (#27) will represent South Korea, and Sungjae Im (#34) will not. This process continues until the 60-man field is full, although France is allocated two spots because they are the host country.
DeChambeau – the No. 1 golfer in the court of public opinion – should be on Team USA because he’s must-see TV. DeChambeau's mammoth tee shots, triumphant fist pumps, and rollercoaster-like display of emotions are exactly what the fans want to see on Team USA in Paris. The United States already has Scottie Scheffler (1), the 2024 Masters Champion, and Xander Schauffele (3), the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner, so why not add the 2024 US Open winner, too?
In three major championships this year, DeChambeau finished T-6th at the Masters, 2nd at the PGA Championship, and 1st at the US Open. As it stands, the United States will have four golfers in the Olympics, while no other country will have more than two. Team USA consists of Scottie Scheffler (1), Xander Schauffele (3), Wyndham Clark (5), and Collin Morikawa (7).
Let’s face it: we all want to see DeChambeau hit 350-yard bombs in Paris. If the Olympic committee asked golf fans whether they preferred DeChambeau or Clark to represent the United States in the Olympics, DeChambeau would win in a landslide. Nevertheless, the Olympic teams are set. But, do they have to be?
In Clark’s three major championships this year, he missed the cut at the Masters, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and placed T-56 at the US Open.
Dear Olympic committee, give the fans what they want to see and put DeChambeau in red, white, and blue!
Kommentare