US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has confessed his ‘frustration and disappointment’ at not being able to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
Just days after clinching his second US Open title, DeChambeau’s joy has been replaced with disappointment as he won’t be competing in the Olympics this summer. The 30-year-old seized on Rory McIlroy’s back four nightmare to secure his second major on Sunday.
However, due to DeChambeau’s ties with LIV Golf, he won’t be among the four players vying for gold in Paris. The rules stipulate that only 60 golfers can compete in the Olympic competition, with a maximum of four players per country if those stars are within the top 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
DeChambeau has been unable to accumulate points through LIV Golf events because the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund-backed organisation doesn’t receive any OWGR points, meaning he has only been able to ascend the rankings through the nine counting events.
Remarkably, his US Open victory catapulted the Californian from No. 38 in the rankings to No. 10, but he’s the sixth American on the list, trailing behind Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay.
The golfer expressed his disappointment at not being able to participate in the Olympics on the Pat McAfee show, stating: “I would love to represent the United States. I was tough for me last time around because of Covid, it was just one of those things that happened.
DeChambeau is now a two-time US Open champion
“Hopefully one day the game of golf will get figured out and come back together and I’ll be able to play. I’m playing great golf, I’m excited but ultimately I’m frustrated and disappointed, sure you can absolutely say that. I made the choices I have made and there’s consequences to that, I respect it. But hopefully sooner rather than later we figure that out.”
Following the US Open, the final four players set to compete for the US were confirmed, with world No.1 Scheffler and No.3 Schauffele securing their spots before the tournament. Clark and Morikawa earned their places after Sunday’s completion, while Cantlay narrowly missed out, needing to win or finish runner-up at Pinehurst No.2 but finishing T3.
Meanwhile, McIlroy took to social media to congratulate DeChambeau on his victory, writing: “Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
“As I reflect on my week, I’ll rue a few things over the course of the tournament, mostly, the 2 missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.
“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown my resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.”
