The world rankings plight not only puts LIV players at risk of missing out on Majors and the Ryder Cup, but it also means they are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to qualifying for the Olympic Games.
Earning one of the 60 spots in the men’s competition at the iconic sporting event is based primarily on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), which doesn’t recognise the breakaway circuit as an eligible tour.
The top 15 men in the OWGR at the end of the qualifying period get in automatically, although that is limited to a maximum of four players per country, before an Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) is used to fill the field.
The OGR is based on strength-of-field ratings and accumulated over a two-year period but only includes tournaments sanctioned by the OWGR, therefore limiting opportunities for LIV players to earn points.
Twelve current LIV members featured at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but that looks set to be halved for this summer’s Paris Games.
That’s according to an OWGR projection for June 17, 2024 - which is the cut-off date to qualify for the men’s tournament - published on social media by Nosferatu, a reliable source on the world rankings.
Projected #OlympicGolf qualification standings for men's golf #Paris2024, as of 1-Apr-2024 (based on the projected #OWGR for 17 June, 2024)Keita Nakajima jumps in for 🇯🇵No other new names, but some big jumps for Jaeger, Tosti, Detry, etc... pic.twitter.com/70NNZteMs4April 1, 2024
As it stands, it means some big names will miss out on competing for gold in the French Capital, including 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.
In an interview with The Guardian, the Australian admitted he is desperate to represent his country but acknowledged he only has “three or four shots” to earn points.
The likes of Jon Rahm and Adrian Meronk, who only recently joined LIV, are still in the top 60, as is Joaquin Niemann, with both the Spanish and Mexican men's teams currently featuring two LIV golfers.
Here is a rundown of all the LIV players who are currently in position to qualify for the 2024 Olympics:
- Jon Rahm, Spain
- Adrian Meronk, Poland
- Joaquin Niemann, Chile
- David Puig, Spain
- Carlos Ortiz, Mexico
- Abraham Ancer, Mexico
That means that a number of LIV Golf's biggest names are currently outside of the qualification spots. US stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed need strong Major results to qualify, while Brooks Koepka has withdrawn alongside England's Tyrrell Hatton.
Belgian's Thomas Pieters, a two-time Olympian, also isn't in, with South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester all currently outside of the spots, which are occupied by Erik Van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
