COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau missed the Tokyo Olympics because of COVID-19. His decision to sign a contract…
COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau missed the Tokyo Olympics because of COVID-19, and his decision to sign with LIV Golf means he won’t be able to compete in this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
So the two-time U.S. Open champion is pinning his hopes on Los Angeles in 2028.
“I’ve done my best to give myself a chance according to my world ranking and although it’s frustrating and disappointing, I understand and respect the current state of tennis,” DeChambeau said Wednesday, with the U.S. Open trophy beside him.
“Hopefully, in 2028, things will be a little different and a lot better.”
DeChambeau is ranked 10th in the Official World Golf Rankings. The Olympics use the rankings to determine the 60 participants, but the OWGR does not approve of LIV Golf, which features closed shops (the same 54 players compete in 54 holes of competition throughout the year) and simultaneous team play.
The OWGR has yet to decide how to evaluate a league with more than two dozen open tours around the world, and LIV has not offered a solution, meaning DeChambeau can only earn rankings points at majors this year, and he did his part by finishing tied for sixth at the Masters and second to Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship before winning the U.S. Open last week at Pinehurst No. 2.
Up to four players can represent each country in Olympic golf, and DeChambeau is the sixth-highest-ranked American. The U.S. team will include Masters champion Scottie Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.
DeChambeau was selected for the U.S. Olympic team for the Tokyo Olympics before testing positive for COVID-19 a week before he was scheduled to travel to Japan, meaning he was unable to play for his country.
DeChambeau knew he wouldn’t be Olympic-eligible when he joined LIV in 2022. Since then, he’s played just one tournament outside of a major and LIV event, last year’s Saudi International, but he’s finished in the top 10 in five of the nine majors he’s played in that span.
PGA Tour officials are in talks with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers to agree on a new model for professional golf, and DeChambeau said he had hoped a deal would be in place by now to allow him to play in the Olympics.
“It didn’t work out that way, but again, I respect my decision. That’s the reality,” he said. “It hurts, but I have another chance in four years.”
Until then, all DeChambeau can do is enjoy himself.
He’s had a hectic tour since his one-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst last weekend, making several television appearances and estimating he’s probably only slept 12 hours since Sunday.
He continued the celebratory mood Wednesday, bringing the trophy into the press conference room and making sure everyone touched it as they left, just like the fans at Pinehurst did.
His win also provided a boost for LIV Golf. The event, about 30 miles south of Nashville, was nearly sold out before the start Friday at The Grove, a LIV CEO Greg Norman-designed course that also hosts Korn Ferry Tour events.
DeChambeau said that while he isn’t ranked No. 1 in the statistics or the standings, he feels like he is playing as well as he did in 2018, when he won back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff matches.
He avoided the question of whether he was the best player in the world, leaving that answer to others.
“I’m not going to put a label or a title on myself,” DeChambeau said. “That’s not my job. I’m here to play my best golf, inspire others and provide great entertainment.”
Ram is back
Jon Rahm is expected to return and play after missing the LIV tournament in Houston and last week’s U.S. Open because of an infection in his left foot.
Rahm said Wednesday it wasn’t easy not playing at Pinehurst. Sitting out allowed him to watch golf as a fan and gave him time to treat an infection between the big toes of his left foot with antibiotics. The Spaniard is one of six players who qualified for the Paris Olympics from the tournament.
“The scars are still there,” Rahm said. “I won’t show you any graphic pictures, but they’re still there. I’m managing to heal now. I’m not going to let it get any worse. I have a lot of work to do after what happened to heal properly and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
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