Olympics: DP World Tour’s Joost Luiten calls BS on denied likelihood

Bogus.

Dumbfounding.

Ridiculous.

These phrases describe Joost Luiten’s scenario associated to the Males’s Olympic Golf Competitors in Paris later this month.

Though, Luiten himself used a extra express time period to explain what occurred to him on Tuesday.

“It’s all bullshit, and so they all cover behind one another,” Luiten stated to Handicap 54, an Argentinian golf web site facilitated by Matías Miguel Torge.

“I’ve accomplished nothing improper! Due to the errors and choices of others, I’m the one who’s getting shafted!”

Final month, Doug Ferguson of the Related Press reported that Dutch Olympic officers would deny its golfers from collaborating within the Olympics in Paris. Officers felt their gamers didn’t have an opportunity to win a medal towards the aggressive 60-player area and, due to this fact, opted to maintain two of its male gamers—together with Luiten—and one feminine participant residence.

However the 38-year-old Luiten has eight profession victories on the DP World Tour and eight PGA Championship appearances, together with his greatest end coming in 2012 at Kiawah Island, the place he tied for twenty first. He even performed in all 4 majors in 2014 and 2015 after which tied for twenty seventh on the 2016 Summer season Olympics—the final time the Dutch Federation despatched golfers to the quadriennial video games. Holland pulled the same stunt in 2021 when Tokyo hosted the COVID-19-delayed Olympics.

Picture by Harry How/Getty Photos

To fight this determination, the Worldwide Golf Federation (IGF) penned a letter to the Dutch Olympic Committee:

“It’s common for lower-ranked gamers to make a major impression in main tournaments, defying their present standings,” the IGF letter stated, per Ferguson.

“There are quite a few examples of gamers who’re decrease ranked on OWGR who carry out nicely in huge occasions.”

Luiten is a chief instance. He has performed nicely in huge occasions earlier than and has the expertise to compete on the grandest of phases.

Look no additional than his present standing. As of Jul. 8, Luiten ranked fortieth within the IGF rankings whereas additionally sitting 117th within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Twenty different Olympic golfers rank worse than he does within the OWGR, thus giving him a fair higher likelihood of performing nicely at Le Golf Nationwide in Paris.

The Dutchman is aware of that, too, therefore his determination to file a grievance in court docket late final month. Luiten then gained the case final week, leading to him posting to his social media: “Going to the Olympics. Very proud of the victory in court docket. Massive because of my attorneys at @snijders.advocaten. Couldn’t have accomplished it with out them.”

One week later, the Worldwide Olympic Committee denied Luiten entry to the Paris Olympic Video games by means of an announcement offered by the IGF:

“When the IGF acquired notification of Joost Luiten’s court docket ruling within the Netherlands and his entry from the Netherlands’ Nationwide Olympic Committee, his unused quota spot had already been reallocated pursuant to the IGF’s revealed qualification procedures,” the assertion reads.

“The IGF was not a celebration to the authorized motion introduced forth by Luiten within the Netherlands. However, in an effort to assist Luiten, the IGF sought an exception from the IOC to extend the sphere measurement of the lads’s Olympic golf competitors from 60 to 61 opponents to incorporate Luiten. Nevertheless, the IOC denied the request on Tuesday. The IGF has suggested Luiten of the IOC’s determination, and he has not knowledgeable the IGF whether or not he intends to pursue this matter additional.”

Luiten did nothing improper, but he can not symbolize his residence nation and play. That is ridiculously irritating for the Dutchman, who needed nothing greater than to compete for a Gold Medal. However with the best way his residence nation has handled him, would Luiten need to put on a medal for his native Holland at this level anyway?

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.