U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau now pins his Olympic hopes on Los Angeles in 2028

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau couldn't play at the Tokyo Olympics because of COVID-19. His decision to sign with LIV Golf is keeping him out of the Paris Games this summer.

So the two-time U.S. Open champion is pinning his hopes on Los Angeles in 2028.

“I’ve done my best up until now to give myself a chance according to the (world ranking), but I realize and respect where the current situation of the game is, albeit it’s frustrating and disappointing,” DeChambeau said Wednesday with the U.S. Open trophy beside him.

"Hopefully 2028 will be a little different situation, and it will make it that much sweeter.”

DeChambeau is 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking. The Olympics uses the rankings to set the 60-man field, and the OWGR does not recognize LIV Golf with its closed shop (the same 54 players all year competing in 54-hole events) and simultaneous team play.

The OWGR has not figured out how to measure such a league with two dozen open tours around the world, and LIV hasn’t offered a solution on its end. That means DeChambeau has only been able to earn rankings points in the majors this year, and he did his part by finishing tied for sixth in the Masters and second to Xander Schauffele in the PGA Championship before his U.S. Open triumph last week at Pinehurst No. 2.

A maximum of four players can represent any country in Olympic golf, and DeChambeau is the sixth highest-ranked American. The U.S. team will feature Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.

DeChambeau made the U.S. squad for the Tokyo Games. Then he tested positive for COVID the week before his planned flight to Japan, which kept him from representing his country.

He knew not qualifying for the Olympics was a possibility when he joined LIV in 2022. He's played only one tournament outside the majors and LIV events since then — last year's Saudi International. DeChambeau has finished in the top 10 in five of his nine majors played during that stretch.

PGA Tour officials are talking with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, trying to reach an agreement for a new model for professional golf. DeChambeau said he had been hoping for an agreement by now to allow him to play in the Olympics.

“It hasn't worked out that way, and again I respect the decision that I made, and it is what it is,” he said. “It hurts, but you know what? There's another one four years later.”

Until then, all DeChambeau can do is enjoy himself.

He's been on a whirlwind tour since he beat Rory McIlroy by one shot last weekend at Pinehurst. He has appeared on a handful of TV shows and estimated he's maybe slept 12 hours since Sunday.

He continued his celebration swing Wednesday, carrying the trophy with him into his news conference. He also made sure everyone touched it on his way out, as he did with the fans at Pinehurst.

His win also has given LIV Golf a boost. This event about 30 miles south of Nashville is nearly sold out before Friday's start at The Grove, designed by LIV CEO Greg Norman, which also has hosted a Korn Ferry Tour event.

DeChambeau said he's feeling as if he's playing as well as he did in 2018 when he won consecutive FedEx Cup playoff events — even if the stats and rankings don't put him at No. 1.

He dodged the question of whether or not he's the best player in the world, leaving that to others to answer.

“I'm not going to put a label or title on myself,” DeChambeau said. “That's not what I do. I'm here to go play the best golf I can and inspire others and give people some great entertainment.”

Jon Rahm is back and planning to play after an infection on his left foot forced him to withdraw from the LIV event in Houston and the U.S. Open last week.

Rahm said Wednesday not playing at Pinehurst wasn't easy. Sitting out allowed him to watch golf as a fan and gave antibiotics time to heal the infection between the end toes on his left foot. The Spaniard is among six players at this event who are qualified for the Paris Olympics.

“The wound is still there,” Rahm said. “I'm not going to show any graphic pictures, but it's still there. It's manageable now. I'm not going to really make it worse. A lot of things to follow up from what happened to make sure it heals properly and it doesn't happen again.”

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Jon Rahm, of Spain, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Open golf tournament Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Bryson DeChambeau holds the trophy in the bunker after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Bryson DeChambeau shows the trophy to fans after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Bryson DeChambeau celebrates with fans and the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Bryson DeChambeau holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Seth Waugh is leaving the PGA of America after six years as CEO, a period marked by a sharp boost in golf participation and PGA membership and moving headquarters from Florida to a massive complex in Texas.

Waugh was the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas when he joined the PGA of America board as an independent director and then was hired to lead the 30,000-plus members in 2018.

His contract was up for renewal on June 30, and Waugh decided not to renew.

“It feels like the right time, not only personally but professionally,” Waugh said. "We've accomplished an awful lot in the six years. The game has never been in better shape. Participation is at an all-time high. It's growing in all the ways we hoped it would.

“The fastest growth is women and people of color. We try to make the game look like the rest of the world, and maybe have the world behave more like our game.”

Waugh will stay on with the PGA of America in a senior advisory role. He will be at the British Open and Paris Olympics and plans to be part of the Ryder Cup next year at Bethpage Black.

The PGA of America said it has begun a search for CEO including candidates from inside and outside the association. Kerry Haigh, the chief championships officer and a key executive since 1989, will be interim CEO but will not be a candidate.

“We are grateful for Seth’s leadership and for all that he accomplished for our members, our game, the business and our people,” PGA of America President John Lindert said. "He skillfully led us through incredibly challenging times and was always a great partner. We are fortunate to be able to call on him going forward for his always helpful advice and counsel.”

Waugh's involvement in golf dates back longer than his time with the PGA of America. He was behind bringing a PGA Tour event to the TPC Boston in 2003 — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was the first tournament director of the Deutsche Bank Championship — and he has been a key voice in business and golf along the way.

“Seth's voice on important issues has been steady and stellar as the golf world has gone through unprecedented change during his tenure,” Masters chairman Fred Ridley said.

Among his chief goals when he became CEO was supporting the professionals that spend long hours teaching the game. That includes a deferred compensation retirement plan for PGA of America members.

“The first time in 110 years anyone figured that out. I borrowed from my own background to help with that,” Waugh said. “But our membership satisfaction is at an all-time high.”

He said the average salary for a professional has exceeded $100,000 for the first time, and membership has surpassed 30,000, another benchmark.

Waugh had been been dropping hints since April that he was nearing the end. He signed up for a four-year term as CEO — he compared four years to a college or presidential term — and felt that would be enough time to make changes. He agreed to two more years in 2022 after golf made it through the COVID-19 pandemic with spikes in participation.

Most notably to Waugh was the age of those playing.

“We're not declaring victory by any means, but the greatest statistic is 48% of all golfers are under the age of 35,” he said. “That's generational growth, people from 25 playing until they're 75, as opposed to playing from 65 to 75. It's such a sea change.

“You realize this generation wants to do things with purpose, and golf has purpose,” he said. “You're a teacher, a coach, and you have a mission to make lives better. The whole premise why I took this job was I felt I'd never have a chance to have more impact on more lives.”

He had no immediate plans after his board duties at the Olympics.

“I have often said that golf is one of the great engines of good on Earth,” he said. "I am perhaps the biggest all-time beneficiary of that good and I want to thank the membership, my colleagues, all the various board members, past presidents, our extraordinary partners, my peers at all the other golf bodies, as well as everyone who plays and loves our beautiful game for all the support and friendship during this journey.

“What a gift that has been.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

FILE - Tiger Woods, right, talks with Seth Waugh during the pro-am round of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament in Norton, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, became CEO of the PGA of America in 2018 and has decided to step down after six years. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File)

FILE - PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. Waugh is not renewing his contract after six years as CEO. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)