Bryson DeChambeau’s Olympic snub proves major flaw in professional golf

DeChambeau’s exclusion is not a shock. LIV events do not count towards Official World Golf Ranking points, so the U.S. Open champion did not have enough points to qualify. 

The top 15 players in the OWGR are eligible for the Olympics, but only four can be from the same country. Because Scheffler, Schauffele, Clark and Morikawa are all ranked ahead of DeChambeau, who sits at No. 10, the decision was made for the Olympic team.

The four selected have competed in thirty more OWGR-sanctioned events than DeChambeau because of their play on the PGA Tour. A T-6 finish at the Masters, a second place finish at the PGA Championship and a win at the U.S. Open not being enough to qualify for the Olympics reveals a flaw in the selection process.

Dependence on the OWGR point system means Team USA will miss one of the most in-form golfers on the planet, who accepted this possibility when joining LIV.

However, for professional golf to not have adjusted their world ranking process in the three years since LIV Golf's inception compromises the player and fan experience. This flawed model means the best golfers in the world are not able to compete at the highest international level.

DeChambeau has the lowest aggregate score of players who have made all three cuts at the majors this year. Schauffele is next, followed by Morikawa and Scheffler. Clark, the controversial fourth member of the Olympic team, missed the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship.

While major championship performances are not the sole indicator of a golfer's ability, they should hold priority for decisions such as Olympic qualification. Major tournaments are the biggest stages for all professional golfers, regardless of tour. Olympic golf should reward perennial, high-level performances at these events.

Bryson DeChambeau has proven against the best competition that he's a top-four American golfer. The selection model for Olympic golf fails to provide the United States with one of their most elite both on and off the course.

DeChambeau's 754k subscribers on YouTube are the most for a current professional golfer. The 24 hours after his electric U.S. Open win Sunday expedited an upward trend in his popularity.

DeChambeau's social media presence helps him resonate with golf fans in ways we haven't seen since Tiger Woods. For him to be at home instead of in Paris this August is unfortunate not only for the United States' gold medal chase, but the tournament's intrigue as a whole.