12 Big Names From Men’s Golf To Miss The Olympics

The US Open marked the last chance for players from the men’s game to book a spot at the Olympics, with the latest world rankings confirming the 60 who will be invited to compete in Paris. 

Each country can only take a maximum of four men’s golfers to the games, and, thanks to having more than three players in the world’s top 15, the US will be the only one to take the maximum number of players.

The majority of countries will have two golfers from the men’s game, although Austria, Finland, Malaysia, Paraguay, Poland and Puerto Rico will have just one.

Because of the strict limitations on the number of players who can participate, some of the world’s highest-profile names will inevitably be missing.

Here are 12 of the biggest names from men’s golf to miss out on an appearance at the Olympics.

Bryson DeChambeau

The LIV Golf star’s profile has never been higher after he claimed the US Open title to follow top-10 finishes in both The Masters and PGA Championship earlier in the year. DeChambeau’s victory at Pinehurst No.2 even took him back inside the world’s top 10 for the first time since January 2022, but it isn’t enough to book his spot at the Olympics for the second time.

Fellow Americans Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa are ahead of DeChambeau in the rankings, and they will be on the plane to Paris.

Brooks Koepka

While DeChambeau’s Major form has seen his world ranking on the rise, it’s been going the other way for fellow American Koepka, not helped by LIV Golf’s inability to offer the points. 

In any case, Koepka is one of a number of players to have withdrawn from consideration for this year's Games, even though his world ranking wouldn't have been enough to qualify.

The US star was ranked 43rd at the deadline, and that means he would have missed out anyway despite having won five career Majors among 20 professional victories, most recently at this year’s LIV Golf Singapore.

Dustin Johnson

As another LIV golfer, the former World No.1 was largely dependent on his form in Majors to give himself an outside chance of making the American team, but he’s not been nearly good enough in the three so far in 2024, with a T48 at The Masters, a T43 at the PGA Championship and a missed cut at the US Open putting paid to his chances.

Tiger Woods

Given his limited schedule and indifferent form in his rare appearances in 2024, it’s no surprise that, ranked 842nd, Woods fell a long way short of the place needed to make the US team, but the absence of the 15-time Major winner at an event he was eligible for is still jarring.

In any case, it’s possible Woods would not welcome the additional strain on his body of an Olympics appearance, particularly coming so soon after the last Major of 2024, The Open at Royal Troon.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay can count himself particularly unlucky not to make the US team. He stands just one place beneath Morikawa at eighth in the world rankings, helped by some excellent recent form, including T3s at the RBC Heritage and the US Open. However, with only four US slots available, he narrowly misses out.

Cameron Smith

Smith admitted before The Masters he was “desperately” hoping to qualify for the Olympics, but like other LIV golfers, he needed strong performances in the three Majors before the deadline to give himself a chance.

In the end, a T6 at The Masters followed by a T63 and T62 at the PGA Championship and US Open wasn’t enough to move him high enough up the world rankings, with the Australian eventually finishing 32 places beneath World No.36 Min Woo Lee, who will represent his country alongside Jason Day.

Adam Scott

Smith’s compatriot Adam Scott is another who misses out due to world ranking, but that is unlikely to be a concern for him as he is another to have withdrawn from consideration.

The Australian also opted out of the previous two Olympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and has in the past said the field should be made up of amateurs.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia played for Spain in the 2016 Olympics, but two other LIV golfers will play at this year’s edition – Jon Rahm and David Puig. 

Having only joined LIV Golf in December, Rahm’s high world ranking was never in danger of being a problem, while Puig has excelled in world ranking events away from the circuit, which booked his place. Despite a strong season, including T12 at the US Open, Garcia’s world ranking of 310th falls almost 200 places short of Puig’s 113th.

Justin Rose

Justin Rose had an Olympics to remember in 2016 when he became the first Great Britain and Ireland player to make a hole-in-one on his way to a gold medal, but there will be no repeat of those heroics this time around.

The 43-year-old proved he can still compete with the best on his day, with a T6 finish at the PGA Championship, but it wasn’t enough to nudge ahead of one of fellow Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick in the rankings.

Tyrrell Hatton

Having only played three world ranking events since January after moving to LIV Golf, Hatton has predictably started slipping down the list, and that means he's beneath both Fleetwood and Fitzpatrick at the deadline. 

Regardless, though, he is another player who reportedly withdrew from consideration, allowing him to concentrate on upcoming LIV Golf events and his next Major appearance, at The Open.

Louis Oosthuizen

The 2010 Open champion has yet to represent South Africa at the Olympics, and it's been known for some time that he wouldn't be participating this year, either.

Oosthuizen is another high-profile player who opted out of considertion, but his world ranking wouldn't have earned him a place anyway. That's despite the fact the LIV Golf star has won two world ranking events in the last year, both on the DP World Tour, while he finished runner-up at the Asian Tour’s International Series Oman.

With Oosthuizen out of contention, the honor will instead go to Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen.

Thomas Pieters

Belgian Pieters took part in both the 2016 Olympics and the 2020 edition in Tokyo, but he won’t be making that a hat-trick in 2024 after asking not to be considered. Therefore, Thomas Detry and Adrien Dumont de Chassart, who are higher than the LIV golfer in the world rankings in any case, will play instead.