Bryson DeChambeau has thrown his support behind the American quartet competing in the Olympics golf tournament despite missing out on a place in Paris.
LIV Golf star DeChambeau has been one of the preeminent players on the planet in 2024, winning the U.S. Open and finishing in second at the PGA Championship, earning a new legion of fans in the process.
But despite his success on the course this season, DeChambeau missed out on a spot in the four-man squad Team USA has sent to Paris. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa are representing the Stars and Stripes at Le Golf National, with the tournament getting underway on Thursday.
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They punched their ticket for Paris by virtue of being in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). The OWGR has refused to sanction LIV Golf since it launched in 2022 due to concerns over its format and playing regulations.
The Saudi Arabia-funded league's players have fallen down the rankings as a result, with DeChambeau sitting outside the top 100 at the start of this season. His performances in the majors have propelled him back into the top 10, but behind the American quartet and Olympic rules allow for a maximum of four players from each nation to qualify.
Some players have questioned if the qualification system is fair to LIV players and diminishes the quality of the competition. But DeChambeau, 30, issued a classy message to his countrymen after Thursday's opening round.
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"Shoutout to the guys in Paris this week," DeChambeau posted on X. "Of course I would love to be out there competing with them, but no matter the situation, I’ll always be rooting for a Team USA victory."
DeChambeau previously vented his frustration about the situation, although he accepted missing the Olympics was on the cards when he joined LIV as a founding member in 2022. He said: "Am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure, you could absolutely say that, but I made the choices that I made and there's consequences to that and I respect it.
"But hopefully, sooner rather than later, we figure out this great game of golf, so we can get past all of that and move forward into showing how awesome this sport actually is around the globe."
Japan's Hideki Matsuyama leads the tournament after the opening round at Le Golf National, shooting a sensational eight-under-par 63. Xander Schauffele is in second place at six-under, with Scheffler two shots back from The Open champion. Morikawa is in a tie for 29th at one-under, with Clark just one shot clear of last place at four-over.
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