Top Players Whose Olympic Dreams Might Have Gotten Buried After 2024 Charles Schwab?

In less than two months, the top players from America will represent the country at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This will be the third time golf will be played at the Olympics after 100 years of hiatus from the game. For men’s golf, four top players from the top 15 on the Official World Golf Rankings will be sent to Paris.

Everything depends on winning and finishing higher on the leaderboard, which can change a golfer’s fate in seconds. Some golfers could have made the Paris Olympics if they had won the Charles Schwab Challenge, though unfortunately they ultimately missed the cut.

Max Homa loses the chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics

Unlike the three other golfers who could have passed the Olympic qualification by a win at the Colonial Golf Club, as they would have catapulted into the top 15 on OWGR, Max Homa’s case is different. The 33-year-old is already in the top 15, The problem lies in the criteria of the four-golfer limit in the Paris Olympics, which makes Homa ineligible for the event. The fourth golfer who may represent the USA in Paris is Patrick Cantlay, ranked 8th on OWGR.

If Homa had donned the Tartan Plaid jacket at the Charles Schwab Challenge, he would have surpassed Cantlay with 302.64274 OWGR points granted to the winner and would have secured his place at the Olympics. But he missed the 2-over cutline with a score of 7 over 147.

The next golfer who was the potential Olympics candidate is the only golfer to defeat Scottie Scheffler (world #1 and first on the qualifying list), Austin Eckroat. A win would have pushed him from 48th to inside the top 10. But sadly, the 1-time PGA Tour winner shot 4 over 144 to lose the chance of playing at the Olympics. 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia shot two rounds of 73-72 to be 5 over and miss the cut of the Charles Schwab Challenge. A victory would have put the 37th-ranked golfer on OWGR in the top 15 or, better, the top 10 but Bhatia was not lucky enough.

Another pro who could’ve lifted the trophy at the Colonial GC but missed the cut is the 2023 PGA Tour POY, Eric Cole. This was Cole’s seventh missed cut on the PGA Tour after carding 3 over 143 and missing the cut just by one stroke. The 35-year-old is 46th on the OWGR, his worst rank in the last 21 weeks. It would have improved by taking silverware in Fort Worth but as it was apparent, it didn’t work for Cole.

Except for these four golfers who missed the cut and the chance to chase the Olympics dream, there are two more who passed the cutline and may take over Patrick Cantlay.

Patrick Cantlay may not represent the USA at the Summer Olympics

Unlike the above four golfers, Collin Morikawa and Brian Harman were well over the cutline. And as the third day concluded, the two pros took the T11 position on the leaderboard. As seen, they might win the Charles Schwab Challenge. How will this affect Patrick Cantlay? Well, Cantlay, as revealed, is the 8th-ranked golfer on the OWGR, while Morikawa and Harman are 9th and 11th, respectively.

If things turn out in favor of either Morikawa or the reigning British Open champion, they will surely surpass his rank. On account of that, Cantlay would not be the fourth potential pick for the 2024 Olympics. Either of the two pros will then join the three highly ranked Americans, who may secure the Olympics ticket, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark.

This is the race to see who is winning and improving to chase the medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Only four golfers from men’s golf would eventually represent the USA. Who will they be? Share your predictions below.