McIlroy made his feelings clear after questions regarding whether certain LIV players should have been included in the men\’s Olympic golf field arose
McIlroy made his feelings clear after questions regarding whether certain LIV players should have been included in the men\’s Olympic golf field arose
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Rory McIlroy insisted the men\’s Olympic golf field at Paris 2024 is A-OK after questions regarding the validity of the qualifying system arose due to certain LIV players not being involved.
Lots of the Paris 2024, the Olympic golf event contained only 60 players, and it was decided that up to four golfers per nationwide were qualified to compete.
After that, up to two competitors per nation, other than the top 15 in the world, can qualify unless there are at least two players in the top 15 in the top 15. After qualifying ended last month, the U.S. men’s team filled four spots, leaving world No. 8 Patrick Cantlay and world No. 9 Bryson DeChambeau among several big names while players outside the top 300 will watch at home. They will begin four days of preparation at Le Golf National.
DeChambeau called it “sad” and acknowledged he was “disappointed and disappointed” after he was no longer able to attend, but he understands the current situation and hopes LA 2028 will be “different” for the LIV players — who will likely have seven in the field this time around. While there are only 60 players in the men’s and women’s golf events, next week will be a high-quality lineup with eight of the top 10 men’s golfers and 13 of the top 15 women’s golfers playing.
Still, questions are being asked about whether golfers who weren’t at the top of the world rankings should have been included and whether the Olympic ranking system was fit for purpose. Contact me for news and offers from other Future brands. You will receive emails from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors. By submitting your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and that you are over 16 years old.
Jon Rahm believes countries should be able to choose who represents them at the Olympics, but McIlroy and Ireland teammate Shane Lowry said the qualifying process is perfectly appropriate and that sometimes good players have to sit out because of their own country’s competitiveness. Our talent pool. A reporter asked the pair if DeChambeau’s absence was particularly odd, given that he is currently ranked ninth in the world and is a recent Grand Slam champion.
The Irish pair responded by pointing out that the tour change would not have benefited a player like DeChambeau, as other elite American players were also eliminated and LIV did not gain points in the world rankings. Lowry said: “The number [8] in the world is not there for the Americans [Patrick Cantlay] either. The US team is a tough team.
McIlroy, who is representing Ireland at the Olympics, added: “Yeah, I think that’s the nature of qualifying for the Olympics. I mean, you can have the fifth best sprinter in the world, but if he’s from a certain country, he’s not going to be able to do it.
“So I think that’s just the way qualifying works at the Olympics and not just golf. It’s the same in other sports.”
Lowry continued: “Like Rory said, you look at other sports, that’s how it is. If you’re not running the time and qualifying, you’re not in the race. If you look at the U.S. team, this is the Jamaican team in the biggest race of the year, the sprint
