‘Damn shame’: Olympics’ ‘broken system’ laid bare as gutted Bryson responds to ‘absurd’ call

US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has been left “frustrated and disappointed” after failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite being one of the world’s best players this year.

The 30-year-old fended off Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy, who missed two brutal putts on the final three holes, to his win his second US Open title over the weekend, jumping to No. 10 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) despite rarely playing events which earn points.

Nonetheless, LIV Golf star DeChambeau missed out on one of Team USA’s four spots for the Paris Games, which get underway in the French capital next month.

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The United States is allowed to take four men to the Olympics, with Scottie Scheffler (No. 1), Xander Schauffele (No. 3), Wyndham Clark (No. 5) and Collin Morikawa (No. 7) qualifying for the marquee event courtesy of their OWGR ranking.

DeChambeau finished T6, second and first at the year’s three majors, compared to Clark missing two cuts and coming T56 at the US Open.

But given the Olympics selection criteria is based on world rankings — a major hinderance to DeChambeau given LIV Golf is not recognised by the OWGT — Clark still got the nod.

DeChambeau, who was ranked 155th at the end of the 2023 season, expressed his disappointment during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Three years ago, the American qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but was forced to withdraw after contracting Covid-19.

“I would love to represent the United States,” DeChambeau said.

“It was tough for me not to go last time around because of Covid, just one of those things that happened.

“Hopefully one day this 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. Am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure you could absolutely say that but I made the choices that I made and there’s consequences to that and I respect it.

“But hopefully it’s sooner rather than later we figure that out so this great game of golf, we can get past all of that and move forward into showing how awesome this sport actually is around the globe.”

DeChambeau, who joined Saudi Arabian-backed circuit LIV Golf in 2022, almost certainly would have placed higher on the OWGR if he were playing on the PGA Tour. LIV submitted an application for its events to be eligible for OWGR points, but the request was rejected last year.

“Because of the back and forth with the tours and the World Golf Rankings and all that stuff, there’s a special Olympic ranking list, as well,” sports broadcaster Mike Tirico said on NBC over the weekend.

“Bryson DeChambeau and the LIV guys aren’t a part of that, and that’s a disappointment … he should be representing the U.S.

“Of everything that has happened with the sport, there are unintended consequences that are hurting the game. And that’s another one of them.”

Former American golf star Brandel Chamblee agreed that it was an “unfortunate” situation, but offered no sympathy.

“All of the players that went to LIV, they well knew, they well knew that they were going to a tour that did not qualify for World Ranking points,” he said.

“They’ve made no concessions to gain those points by altering their format in such a way that they could.”

Meanwhile, golf coach and stats guru Lou Stagner said the repeated absence of DeChambeau for Team USA will continue to hurt the nation.

“Not having Bryson DeChambeau on the Ryder cup team was a huge blunder. If he is not on the Presidents cup team, that will also be a huge blunder,” he wrote.

“He won’t be on the Olympic team, which means the USA is not sending it’s best players. As a fan, I want the best players there.

“This needs to be fixed.”

Renowned golf journalsit and author Alan Shipnuck also expressed his disappointment.

“It’s a damn shame the Olympics clung to such a flawed system. Instead of golf’s biggest star – Bryson – chewing the scenery in Paris we get…Wyndham Clark? Collin Morikawa?! Uggghhh,” he wrote.

DeChambeau will need to wait until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, which will be staged at Riviera Country Club, for another opportunity to represent his country at the Games.