Branden Grace gives hot take on South African Olympic team picking 2 PGA Tour stars over LIV golfers

Branden Grace has shared his opinion on the final field for the 2024 Paris Olympics, expressing his belief that his fellow LIV Golf players Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester deserved spots to represent South Africa this year.

However, PGA Tour pros Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen, who finished ahead of the LIV golfers in the world rankings, secured their places in the Olympics.

During a press conference at the LIV Golf Nashville event, Branden Grace spoke about the performances of his fellow LIV players, saying:

"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.”

It's important to note that LIV golfers do not receive ranking points, causing them to consistently drop in the world rankings, which makes them ineligible for Majors and other big tournaments. Despite Oosthuizen and Burmester performing well on the Saudi Circuit, they ranked below PGA Tour golfers and did not receive exemptions to represent their country at the Paris Olympics.

Another LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, the 2024 US Open winner, also failed to qualify for the Olympics despite his Major victory. DeChambeau's world ranking was not better than that of PGA Tour pros like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Wyndham Clark, all of whom qualified for the Olympics.

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Comparison: Brendan Grace's choices for the Paris Olympics vs. South African golfers qualified

PGA Tour golfers Erik van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout have qualified to represent South Africa at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both players have had successful outings on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour events this season.

During the 2023-24 DP World Tour season, Bezuidenhout participated in four events with three top-10 finishes. He secured 3rd place at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and tied for 3rd at the ISPS Handa Championship. On the PGA Tour, he had a strong season with only three missed cuts and finished as runner-up at The American Express.

Erik van Rooyen played in one DP World Tour event this season, finishing tied for 32nd place. On the PGA Tour, he missed four cuts but managed to secure three top-10 finishes, including tying for second at the Cognizant Classic.

Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester, LIV golfers whom Brendan Grace believed should have been included in the South African Olympic team for Paris, also had notable performances this season. Apart from their participation in LIV Golf events, they competed in DP World Tour events with impressive results.

Oosthuizen won the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the DP World Tour and finished as the runner-up twice in LIV Golf events.

Meanwhile, Dean Burmester won two tournaments on the DP World Tour, claiming victories at the Joburg Open and Investec SA Open Championship, and the LIV Golf Miami event. He also competed in Majors, finishing tied for 12th at the 2024 PGA Championship and 69th at the US Open.