Where do the Olympics stand compared to majors? Perhaps, it’s too early to predict. But the Olympics are facing a similar criticism as the majors: not all the best players are in the field. One of the names that immediately comes to mind is Bryson DeChambeau, along with many others. The solution? LIV Golf pro Abraham Ancer has one.

Give countries more freedom. The Fireballs man wants more decentralization of decision-making power. He would much prefer if the IOC let the countries decide who to pick. Currently, the International Golf Federation relies on the OWGR standings to determine the final field.

Abraham Ancer said, “It would be great if the countries can get to pick who they bring and just be like, hey, these are the guys that we believe have a chance to win a medal.” There is, however, one downside to relying solely on a country’s Olympic committee’s goodwill. Ask Joost Luiten.

Luiten, a six-time winner on the DP World Tour, qualified for the Olympics last time and this time too. However, the Dutch Olympic Committee barred him from participating because they believed Luiten didn’t have enough chances to win a medal.

The 38-year-old filed a case in court and won. But by that time, the IOC had filled in his spot. He is added as an alternate; only if someone withdraws would Luiten get a chance. It is hard to say if Ancer thought of this. But the Mexican international knew it was a polarizing opinion.

“Maybe that would be a way to fix it. It’s not going to be easy. Not everybody is going to be happy,” Abraham Ancer added in the pre-Olympics press conference. The ensuing comments from fans definitely proved that.

Does Abraham Ancer want to abolish meritocracy? Some think so

The internet saw a similarity between what Abraham Ancer was saying and how LIV Golf works. Technically, only six players ranked 49–54 in the season-long standings are relegated. Even then, the captains have immunity, i.e., they will tee off in the next season regardless of where they finish.

Detractors pinpoint this system as evidence of a lack of meritocracy in LIV Golf. Some on the Internet believe Abraham Ancer’s idea will put Olymipcs in a similar spot. “Yeah let’s go from an objective merit based system to a subjective political one,” said one. Another echoed, “Surely there has to be some sort of criteria. Swimming, track and field etc have trials and not just picking out of a hat.”

On a similar note, a third user pointed out that that’s not how teams select their players. The Olympic trials ensure that the best players from each country receive a spot without any bias. “..[E]xcept; this isn’t how ANY Olympic athlete is chose, ever, at all… it’s called “qualifying” for a reason.”

Interestingly, Jon Rahm, too, wanted more leeway given to the countries. The Spaniard said, “There needs (sic) to be some guidelines, but like Team USA Basketball has (the) freedom to choose whoever they want.” Some eagle-eyed fans see a pattern in their statements.

LIV golfers have maintained a similar stance on major qualifying as well, calling for a direct pathway from the season-long standings or the money list. One user questioned, “[D]o they get paid extra for sticking to the script?” Similarly, most LIV golfers claimed ‘growing the game’ as a big reason to join the PIF-funded side. Noting that one sarcastically wrote, “[A]ll liv golfers saying the same It’s like you have fed them an alibi.”

Notably, a few missing names caught Rory McIlroy’s eye as well. The Ulsterman agreed that not every best player is in the field but stopped short of giving any blueprint for the future. One thing is clear, however. Without a final solution to golf’s civil war, the ghost of LIV Golf will haunt the Olympics as it has chased the majors.