Bryson DeChambeau pins Olympic hopes on Los Angeles

The two-time US Open champion is therefore pinning his hopes on Los Angeles in 2028.

“I have done my best so far to give myself a chance according to the (world rankings), but I realize and respect where the current state of the game is, even if it is frustrating and disappointing,” DeChambeau told USA on Wednesday . Open trophy next to him.

“Hopefully 2028 will be a slightly different situation, and it will make it that much more fun.”

DeChambeau is 10th in the official world golf rankings. The Olympics use rankings to determine the 60-man field, and the OWGR does not recognize LIV Golf with its closed shop (same 54 players competing year-round in 54-hole events) and concurrent team play.

The OWGR hasn’t yet figured out how to measure such a competition with 20 open tours around the world, and LIV hasn’t yet offered a solution. That means DeChambeau has only been able to earn ranking points in the Majors this year, and he did his part by finishing tied for sixth in the Masters and second behind Xander Schauffele in the PGA Championship before taking the US Open won at Pinehurst No. 2.

Up to four players can represent each country in Olympic golf, and DeChambeau is the sixth-highest ranked American. The American team consists of Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.

DeChambeau was part of the American squad for the Tokyo Games. He then tested positive for COVID the week before his scheduled flight to Japan, preventing him from representing his country.

He knew qualifying for the Olympics was not possible when he joined LIV in 2022. Since then, he has played just one tournament outside the majors and LIV events: last year’s Saudi International. DeChambeau has finished in the top 10 in five of his nine majors played during that stretch.

PGA Tour officials are talking to LIV Golf’s Saudi backers in an effort to agree on a new model for professional golf. DeChambeau said he was now hoping for a deal to allow him to play in the Olympics.

“That’s not how it worked, and again, I respect the decision I made, and it is what it is,” he said. ‘It hurts, but you know what? Four years later there’s another one.’

Until then, DeChambeau can only enjoy himself.

He has been on a whirlwind tour since beating Rory McIlroy by one stroke last weekend at Pinehurst. He has appeared on a handful of TV shows and estimated he may have slept 12 hours since Sunday.

He continued his celebratory swing on Wednesday, taking the trophy with him to his press conference. He also made sure everyone touched it on his way out, like he did with the fans at Pinehurst.

His victory has also given LIV Golf a boost. The event, about 30 miles south of Nashville, is nearly sold out ahead of Friday’s start at The Grove, designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman, who also hosted a Korn Ferry Tour event.

DeChambeau said he feels like he’s playing as well as he did in 2018, when he won back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff events — even if the stats and rankings don’t put him at No. 1.

He avoided the question of whether or not he is the best player in the world and left the answer to others.

“I’m not going to put a label or title on myself,” DeChambeau said. “That’s not what I do. I’m here to play the best golf I can and inspire others and give people great entertainment.”

Jon Rahm is back and plans to play after an infection in his left foot forced him to withdraw from the LIV event in Houston and the US Open last week.

Rahm said it wasn’t easy not playing at Pinehurst on Wednesday. Sitting outside allowed him to watch golf as a fan and gave him time to take antibiotics to clear the infection between the toes of his left foot. The Spaniard is one of six players at this event who will qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris.

“The wound is still there,” Rahm said. “I’m not going to show any graphic pictures, but it’s still there. It’s manageable now. I’m not really going to make it worse. There are a lot of things that need to be followed up after what happened to make sure it heals properly and it doesn’t happen anymore.”