Controversial Olympic Golf Politics: LIV Stars Slam System

LIV Golfers at the Olympics

LIV pro Carlos Ortiz is in the field for the men’s Olympic golf event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, representing Mexico alongside Abraham Ancer. However, both players nearly missed out on this opportunity due to their decision to join LIV and the “politics” Ortiz claims have barred other star LIV golfers from playing in Paris.

The World Ranking Points Dilemma

The controversy centers on world ranking points. Olympic qualification relies on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), with the top 15 players automatically qualifying (with a maximum of four per country) and each country guaranteed two spots for its top-ranked players.

The problem for LIV players is that the OWGR does not award ranking points for LIV Golf tournaments. As a result, many LIV players have seen their rankings plummet, jeopardizing their Olympic qualification chances, as was the case for Ortiz and Ancer.

Ancer’s Close Call

Ancer detailed his struggles at a pre-Olympics press conference. “I was definitely sweating it in the last two months because there was really not much that I could play that fit the schedule to get in the World Ranking points,” Ancer explained. “So I just had to wait and see if my World Ranking — because it was starting to plummet fast every week. We were just starting to make calculations and see if it was going to hold on or not. I mean, thankfully, it did.”

For context, Ancer’s best-ever OWGR ranking before joining LIV was 11th. Now he’s ranked 357th. Ortiz’s peak ranking was 44th, and he’s fallen all the way down to 272nd. Ortiz won the 2024 International Series Oman event in February, earning him some ranking points. However, his victory at the 2024 LIV Golf Houston event in June garnered him none.

Ortiz’s Critique of the System

In their joint Olympic press conference, Ortiz criticized the qualification system and the state of the PGA Tour-LIV feud, which he argues has kept some of the best golfers out of the Olympics.

“It’s just the situation in golf right now, it’s unfair. Especially Olympic Games, you want to have the best golfers right here, but politics somehow manage things still,” Ortiz lamented on Tuesday. “I still feel there’s golfers that should be here and couldn’t be here because of what has happened, you know. I think the Olympic Games definitely should be neutral, you know. They should have not turned away ranking players accordingly, especially now that the World Ranking points don’t really work anymore.”

Potential Solutions

When asked what he sees as a possible solution, Ortiz was light on details but emphasized the need for both sides to find “common ground.” He argued that the world ranking qualification system, including for majors, needs fixing to accommodate LIV players.

“The solution would be people up there to leave their egos on the side and find a common ground. I think there is definitely common ground… and both sides have to give something up to find common ground,” Ortiz said. “I believe both of us should be playing majors. I think we played great golf this year, and it’s hard to get in them. I tried to qualify for the British Open. I just barely missed. But you know, there should be a way for us to get in there, a simpler way.”

Ancer offered an interesting solution: allow countries to select their own players. “I think it would be great if the countries can get to pick who they bring and just be like, ‘hey, these are the guys that we believe have a chance to win a medal,’ or ‘this is the guys that I want to bring,’” Ancer argued. “Maybe that would be a way to fix it. It’s not going to be easy. Not everybody is going to be happy.”

LIV Players in the Olympics

While big LIV stars like Bryson DeChambeau are missing from the Olympic field, several other LIV players will compete at Le Golf National. The men’s fight for gold begins early Thursday morning.

Final Thoughts

The controversy surrounding the qualification of LIV players for the Olympics highlights ongoing tensions in the golf world. As Ortiz and Ancer compete in Paris, their comments underscore the need for a more inclusive and fair system that allows the best players to represent their countries on the world stage.