The 2024 U.S. Open was dominated by Bryson DeChambeau, as the LIV golf star held off a tough final day challenge from Rory McIlroy to win his second major championship.
It also marked a key moment in golf’s pre-Olympic cycle, with the U.S. men’s Olympic golf team being finalized for 2024.
Olympic golf participants are selected entirely by a system based on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Each country is given up to four spots out of a field of 60 players, but they have no say in which players they send. It’s all based on the OWGR.
Half of Team USA’s golf team was already set entering Pinehurst. The other two had a shortcut to get closer to their positions, but they would need to avoid a strong showing from someone close to them to catch them.
Patrick Cantlay almost made the four-man team, needing a top-two finish in the tournament to make the team, but he finished third at four under par, just two strokes behind DeChambeau for the winning score.
Speaking of DeChambeau, despite his win, he wasn’t selected for the U.S. team because his status within the LIV Golf organization meant he wasn’t ranked high enough in the OWGR.
Who will represent the United States in Olympic golf in 2024? Here are four PGA Tour players heading to Paris.
Read more: Bryson DeChambeau explains why he won’t play in the Olympics
2024 U.S. Olympic Golf Team
Scottie Schaeffler
Scheffler was locked down for the U.S. team long before the 2024 U.S. Open. He had his worst performance of the season at Pinehurst, finishing outside the top 20 for the first time this year at eight over par, but that didn’t erase his performance over the past four months.
Scheffler won five tournaments between March 7 and June 9, including victories at The Players Championship, The Masters and the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. During that time, Scheffler finished tied for eighth or better in every tournament, including the PGA Championship, where he was arrested and played with a second-string caddie on Saturday because Ted Scott was home for his daughter’s high school graduation.
At the height of his form, Scheffler was being compared to Tiger Woods and competing for the win every week, but his mediocre performances at the difficult Pinehurst course have generated just a few talking points and many expect the world’s No. 1 golfer to win the gold medal in Paris.
Xander Schauffele
While Schauffele’s consistency at the high end was somewhat overshadowed by Scheffler’s sheer dominance, Zander caught the eye by winning his first major championship at the PGA Championship, where Schauffele shot 22 under par and tied the record for worst round in a major championship with a 62 in the opening round at Valhalla Golf Club.
In addition to his first major win, Schauffele has eight top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments, including an eighth-place finish at the Masters. He ranks second to Scheffler in total strokes gained on the PGA Tour and has no weaknesses in his game.
Schauffele also won a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, and his experience in Tokyo should help him perform well in Paris.
MORE: How Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay became close friends
Wyndham Clark
Clark had his best 2023 season on the PGA Tour and is off to a strong start in 2024, winning the weather-shortened Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February with a course-record final-round 60 and finishing second in consecutive tournaments at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship.
Since the Masters, Clark hasn’t been as good as he used to be, missing the cut in three of six tournaments and finishing higher than 47th just once. He did have a respectable third place finish at the RBC Heritage, but one would think that a player in-form like Bryson DeChambeau might be a better option than Clark.
However, Clarke went into the 2024 U.S. Open ranked fourth in the world, meaning he still had a comfortable Olympic spot in the Official World Golf Rankings. If he can recapture the form he showed last season and early in 2024, he could be in line for a medal.
Collin Morikawa
Clark’s slump came just as Morikawa was beginning to improve, as the 27-year-old golfer tied for third at the Masters and went on to finish tied for 16th or better in seven consecutive tournaments.
Morikawa is one of the most accurate golfers in the world, with a great power fade that allows him to get distance off the tee while still keeping the ball on the fairway. He struggled with his putting at the start of the season but has since brought his putting performance up to par.
Overall, Morikawa ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained, thanks in part to his top-notch driving accuracy. He’s helped elevate an already-strong U.S. team, and it would be no surprise to see him contending for a gold medal in Paris.
