Will Bryson DeChambeau be missed at the Olympics? It depends on who you ask. The spectators who composed a symphony of ‘USA, USA’ chants at the Pinehurst every time DeChambeau teed off would say a thumping yes. But Jon Rahm? No, he’s relieved. 

It’s not an uncharacteristic dig on his LIV Golf peer. Contrarily, Rahm had high praise for DeChambeau. The former U.S. Open champion thinks it was one of the best up-and-down wins in recent memory, at par with Phil Mickelson’s 2005 PGA Championship triumph or even Tom Watson’s famous chip on the 16th in 1982.

Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after putting out on the eighteenth green to win the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Nevertheless, Bryson DeChambeau missing the Olympics due to his association with LIV has one upside. Rahm won’t have to face the Crushers GC captain as a competitor. Asked whether he is frustrated at DeChambeau not being in the U.S. team, Rahm said, “I think it’s more of a question for the Americans in the room. Would you want to have somebody like Bryson on the team right now or not? In my case, as a competitor that week, no.  (Laughing).”

Olympics, like the Majors, rely on the Official World Golf Ranking to determine the field. The top 15 players in the OWGR earn a direct exemption to the Olympics. Outside the top 15, players get a spot only if their team doesn’t already have two players inside the top 15. 

Bryson DeChambeau is 10th. He made a massive 200-point jump in the last two months, thanks to a T6 at the Masters (19 points), a solo second at the PGA Championship (60 points), and finally the crown at the U.S. Open (100 points). Yet he is behind Scottie Scheffler (Rank 1), Xander Schauffele (3), Wyndham Clark (5) and Collin Morikawa (7). 

DeChambeau must have hoped that by this time, an agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour would solve the impending issues. Either that or OWGR will find a way to allocate points to LIV Golf as well. Instead, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has called off LIV’s bid for the world ranking points. 

“I’ve done my best up until now to give myself a chance according to the OWGR … Hopefully, 2028 will be a little different situation, and it will make it that much sweeter,” DeChambeau said. Rahm, too, refused to up the ante. The Spaniard is willing to wait for the PGA Tour and PIF to reach a breakthrough. 

Jon Rahm admits LIV is different but deserves world-ranking points

OWGR, while rejecting LIV’s plea, cited the unorthodox format of the league and a lack of turnover rates as the key reasons. Rahm admitted LIV is ‘bit of a different league’, but there is ‘undeniable’ talent, which merits a pathway for them to enter the Majors, Ryder Cups, and Olympics. 

The two-time major winner hoped that a breakthrough between the PGA Tour and PIF would create a favorable scenario. Jon Rahm said from Nashville,  “I think it’s getting to the point where we hear the conversations between the Tour and PIF are going on. I hope sooner than later there’s some resolution to where there’s a way for the players here to earn the events like you can pretty much everywhere else and there’s a clear pathway.”

The PGA Tour and PIF have exchanged the term sheets of the agreement last month. Moreover, the PIF Governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan had an in-person meeting with the Transaction Committee, which includes Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Rory McIlroy among the players. McIlroy, who joined virtually, termed it “Very productive, very constructive, very collaborative.’’ 

The memo from Commissioner Jay Monahan noted that the talks are moving forward, but there is still work to do. A possible date for unification doesn’t come before 2026, by all accounts. Till then, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau have to wait.