Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Louis Oosthuizen, Thomas Peters, Adam Scott and Marcel Sim have reportedly withdrawn from this year’s Olympics.
According to Spanish publication El Periodi Golf, LIV Golf members Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton and Louis Oosthuizen are among those seeking to be excluded from the Olympics.
Additionally, Thomas Pieters, Adam Scott and Marcel Siem have also asked not to participate in the Olympics, although the reasons for their requests have not been made clear. Koepka said his decision to skip the Olympics may have something to do with his chances of qualifying for the U.S. team. Currently, the top two players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) are automatically selected regardless of their country, and up to four players within the top 15 can qualify.
A dispute between LIV Golf and OWGR pushed golfers down the rankings, putting Koepka at the forefront, finishing 31st and becoming the highest-ranked American at 18th in OWGR.
Right now, Scottie Scheffler, Windham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay are ahead of Koepka. As for Hatton, the Englishman has a chance of qualifying, with only Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood ahead of the 16th-ranked golfer.
In total, Jon Rahm, Adrian Melonch, Joaquin Niemann, David Puig, Mito Pereira, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, and Calle Samuja are the LIV Golf names eligible to win Paris. What’s notable is that Puig explained his lofty goal of qualifying for the Olympics, despite being ranked 106th in the world.
“I’m hoping to win or finish second this week and see if I can get into the top 100 and qualify for the PGA.
That’s the main focus this week,” Puig told Flushing It in early March. Puig hopes to be one of two golfers to represent Spain at the Golf National in August. “Yes, (the Olympics) is another (goal),” he continued. “We have three good Spanish friends who have played in many more tournaments than me. Obviously, this is probably the biggest project for me and I hope it would be great to play in the Olympics.
If you want to represent Spain at the Olympics, Taft is the place to go. Rahm, Pablo Larrazabal, Jorge Campillo and Adrian Otagui are ahead of the 22-year-old, with the latter three having the opportunity to improve their rankings by taking part in weekly OWGR-sanctioned tournaments. Meanwhile, Australian golfer Scott has always criticized golf at the Olympics. The 43-year-old has repeatedly turned down opportunities to represent his country, turning down opportunities in Rio and Tokyo in 2016 and 2021 respectively.
In 2015, Scott shared his thoughts on the inclusion of golf as an Olympic sport, deriding how the sport does nothing for him as a golfer. “Whether or not I win an Olympic medal is not going to define my career or affect the end of my career,” Scott said at the time, according to Reuters. “I’ve never wanted that and I don’t think I ever will.” It’s about the four specialties, and that’s the way it should be maintained in golf.
In the middle of the main season, you’ll be doing showcases there as well and meeting athletes (from other sports) – I don’t think other athletes from that sport would do that.
“I don’t think much of the sports world cares about this issue. It all started from there. Like most Olympians, he has been training for four years to excel in this particular event.
This is the pinnacle of their sport, with great success every four years. They are putting their lives on hold for this event and it is so important to them that they feel this is their moment. Golf does not necessarily need to be included as an Olympic sport.
