The men’s field for the 2024 Olympics in Paris was only finalized earlier this week, but there has been no shortage of controversy over some of the players who have missed out on the chance to represent their country at Le Golf National.
Qualification is based on world ranking after the US Open, and earlier in the week, LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau expressed his disappointment that he wouldn’t be on the US Team despite incredible performances in the three Majors so far, including his Pinehurst No.2 victory.
Now, another LIV Golf pro, Stinger GC player Branden Grace, has questioned the logic of two of his teammates, Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester, missing out for South Africa despite some excellent form of their own.
Grace took part in a press conference with Oosthuizen and Burmester before LIV Golf Nashville, and began: “In my opinion these are the two guys that should be representing South Africa out there this year, just by what they've won, what they've played, where they've played, how they've performed, and not just in the last five months, but probably the last year or so, if not longer.”
Oosthuizen closed out 2023 with two DP World Tour victories and has two runner-up finishes with LIV Golf this season. Meanwhile, Burmester won April’s LIV Golf Miami as the former PGA Tour pro’s career continues to flourish.
However, despite Burmester sitting third in the LIV Golf individual standings, with Oosthuizen fifth, their world rankings are well beneath the two South African players heading to the Olympics, PGA Tour pros Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen. They only had one win between them in the two-year qualifying period, but crucially, they play in world ranking events on a regular basis.
Given that, Grace suggested nations should be able to use different criteria to pick their teams.
He said: “I think that's maybe a good call of maybe each country picking or trying to get their own solution on how they get the criteria right for guys to qualify, things like that. It's definitely a way forward. But the system at this stage, that's not very accurate. We all know that. We all talk about it, week in and week out, but these should be the two guys probably representing South Africa out there.”
I asked the 🇿🇦 Stingers about the Olympics.As usual, their answers were thoughtful (with a bit of fun mixed in at the end). pic.twitter.com/6O33Zk72h0June 20, 2024
In any case, Oosthuizen admitted that he’s never been a big fan of pro golf in the Olympics. He explained: “I'm probably the wrong person to talk to. I think I've said this before, years ago when golf became a sport in the Olympics. I grew up with the four Majors being your main events, and I don't really see the fit of professional golfers playing golf in the Olympics.
“I had the opportunity to go to one of the Olympics and I pulled out at the end. At that time I think it was close to a Major and that was my main focus always, Majors, so the Olympics didn't fit into my schedule that year.
“Looking back at that, I think it would be a nice thing to have on your CV that you could have represented your country… but I hope the boys play well and that they perform well, and it's still going to be a strong South African team playing.”
Burmester echoed those good wishes, saying: “Yeah, obviously Christiaan and Erik are going to do South Africa proud, and they've also played some great golf in their own right, which is something.
“It would be an honor obviously to go to the Olympics and represent your country. I think it's basically the field we have, and those two guys are going to have that opportunity, so it's super special, and we can only wish them well.”
