Why is Wyndham Clark at the Olympics? How USA golfer qualified over Bryson DeChambeau for spot in Paris

There is most certainly an argument to be made that right now, Bryson DeChambeau is the third-best American in golf. 

Let's face it — no one is taking the title of top dog from Scottie Scheffler. The Texas native has secured an astonishing six wins so far in 2024, including the Masters, and rightfully sits atop the Official World Golf Rankings. Behind him is Xander Schauffele, who not only is the defending Olympic gold medalist but is also the owner of two majors in 2024: the PGA Championship and the British Open. 

But the other major winner is DeChambeau, who came back to defeat Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open. After finishing tied for sixth at the Masters and second at the U.S. Open, the LIV Golf star dazzled at Pinehurst, winning his second career major. 

Despite a strong 2024 season out of the driving specialist, he is not representing the red, white and blue in Paris. Instead, it is the quarter of Scheffler, Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. 

MORE: Full scores, results, live updates from 2024 Olympic golf

"This time around, it's disappointing but I understand the decisions I made," DeChambeau said about failing to make the USA Olympics team. "The way things have played out has not been perfectly according to plan. I've done my best, up until now, to give myself a chance according to the OWGR [Olympic Golf World Rankings].

"But I realize and respect where the current situation of the game is, and albeit it's frustrating and disappointing, hopefully, 2028 will be a little different situation."

If it were up to a committee to select the four representatives from the United States — like how the Ryder Cup team is decided, or the Olympic basketball squads — DeChambeau would be in Paris.

However, it's not so simple when it comes to golf. The Sporting News explains.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Full Olympics schedule | How to watch in USA | Meet NBC's broadcasters

Olympic golf qualifying 

When it comes to golf at the Olympics, players earn their spot in the international competition by placing well in the Official Golf World Rankings [OGWR].

In those rankings, points are awarded to golfers based on their final positions in each event. Simply put, the higher a golfer finishes and the tougher the event, the more points are earned in the rankings. Ranking points for each player accumulate over a two-year "rolling" period, where the rankings are ordered by the average points that golfers accumulate over the applicable two-year period.

For the Olympics, the top 15 athletes in the rankings are selected by name, with a maximum of four athletes allowed per country. After that, selections are made down the list with a maximum of two golfers per nation until the entire field of 60 is determined. 

Since the United States is so dominant in golf, it has a number of members that take up space at the top of the OGWR. In fact, six of the top-10 players are American, as of the latest OGWR. 

That is the root of the reason why DeChambeau is not in Paris. He currently is the sixth-highest-ranking American on the list, sitting behind Scheffler, Schauffele, Clark, Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay. 

In a LIV Golf-less world, DeChambeau would be competing at the Olympics. He was one of the first defectors from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed league, and now is paying the price for his move. However, the OGWR does not reward points for LIV Golf events, giving DeChambeau fewer opportunities to move up the OGWR rankings. 

You can tell by the table below just how few events DeChambeau has been eligible to earn points in. If he was still on the PGA Tour, he undoubtedly would be higher on the list and would be in Paris.

With that said, it is the consequences of his own decisions that he isn't at the Olympics. 

Official World Golf Rankings