Bryon DeChambeau has Olympic regret as US Open champ pays ultimate LIV Golf price

Bryson DeChambeau has expressed his regret about missing the 2020 Olympics and his disappointment over once again missing the chance to participate in the Games this month. The LIV Golf star had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 just a week before the competition started.

Despite recently securing his second US Open major title, DeChambeau has missed out on becoming an Olympian again. Currently ranked No. 9 in the Official World Golf Rankings, he trails behind four fellow Americans who qualified for the Olympics: Scottie Scheffler (No.1), Xander Schauffele (No.2), Wyndham Clark (No.5), and Collin Morikawa (No.6), as reported by the Mirror.

DeChambeau’s affiliation with the LIV Golf series, which is not recognized by the OWGR, has further diminished his hopes of making it onto Team USA for Paris 2024. However, some LIV Golf athletes like Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, and Mito Pereira are still participating in the Games despite their ties to the Saudi-backed circuit.

Ahead of the UK LIV Golf event, the 30-year-old golfer shared his disappointment with reporters about not being able to participate in the Tokyo Olympics and missing another opportunity to represent his country in Paris. “I had a chance in 2021 [Tokyo Olympics] and didn’t get to go because of COVID, unfortunately. I got it the week before which was unfortunate, but I still got to go to all the stuff which was really cool. Not being there gives me a sad feeling,” he explained.

DeChambeau also discussed the potential for a play-off to enter the Olympics, saying: “From this year it’s a little different. Obviously, the whole situation between LIV and PGA makes things different, so I could foresee something like that happening, there being a tournament. But as it stands right now, I’m excited to watch.”

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, DeChambeau voiced his regret about missing the Tokyo Olympics and his feelings after exiting the PGA Tour. “I’m playing great golf, I’m excited,” he said. “[So] yeah… am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure, you can absolutely say that. But I made the choices that I made, and there’s consequences to that, and I respect it. Hopefully sooner rather than later we figure that out so in this great game of golf we can get past all that and move forward into showing how awesome this sport really is around the globe.”