Bryson DeChambeau Disappointed He Can't Represent United States In Olympics

There's an argument to be made that no United States golfer is playing better right now than Bryson DeChambeau. 

After finishing in sixth place at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship, DeChambeau captured the U.S. Open crown on Sunday. 

Obviously, Scottie Scheffler is the #1 player in the world for a reason, but DeChambeau bested him at each of the past two major tournaments. 

Xander Schauffele has an argument, as well, having won the PGA Championship and finishing in the Top 10 of all three majors this year. Really, though, all three players should be on the United States Olympics team. 

Bryson DeChambeau, who has appeared on two Ryder Cup teams and one President's Cup team (all wins for the United States), can't play in the Olympics because LIV golfers don't earn OWGR points. 

(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Instead, Scheffler and Schauffele are joined by Collin Morikawa and 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark. 

Clark played some incredible golf last season, but it's been a struggle for a few months. He missed the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship and finished 56th at the U.S. Open after shooting a seven-over round on Sunday. 

Morikawa is having a great season, as he also boasts three Top 15 major finishes this year (third at the Masters, fourth at the PGA and 14th at the U.S. Open). 

Still, he's not playing better than DeChambeau, although you can make the case that he would deserve the fourth spot on the team after the other three. 

But instead of DeChambeau, the United States gets Wyndham Clark. Why? Because the U.S. Olympics golf team is determined solely by a player's rank in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). 

Scheffler (no. 1), Schauffele (no. 3), Clark (no. 5) and Morikawa (no. 7) are the four highest-ranking American players. 

But the OWGR does not take LIV Golf results into account. So, the only time that LIV players can earn OWGR points is during major tournaments. 

Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele all competed on the United States team in the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, which the US team won. 

(Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

While Bryson has earned a ton of points with his major finishes, it's not enough to overcome the guys who play on the PGA Tour.

DeChambeau currently ranks 10th overall and sixth among American players (Patrick Cantlay is ahead of him at no. 8). 

He expressed disappointment about not getting to play for the United States in the upcoming Olympics when he joined Pat McAfee on Monday.

"I would love to represent the United States," DeChambeau said. 

He mentioned that in 2020, he would have qualified for the United States Olympics team (he also won the U.S. Open that year), but the games were moved due to COVID. So, this is the second time he's earned a spot but cannot compete. 

Despite that, DeChambeau is not bitter and takes responsibility for his actions, acknowledging that his move to LIV Golf was going to affect his ability to compete in events like the Olympics. 

"Frustrated, disappointed, yeah you could absolutely say that," he said about not getting to play in the Olympics. "But I made the choices that I made and there's consequences to that, and I respect it." 

A good response from DeChambeau, and he's right. He did make a choice and he knew the consequences. He was paid handsomely for the decision to join LIV Golf, but there's a sacrifice that comes with that money. 

That being said, as an American golf fan, I want the United States to win the Olympics and Bryson DeChambeau gives the team the best chance to do that. Unfortunately, though, the current system doesn't support his inclusion. 

That's a loss for DeChambeau but also a loss for golf fans in the United States.