Joost Luiten is upset about the Netherlands Olympic Committee’s decision.
He, Darius Van Driel, and Dewi Weber won’t be playing in the Olympics. The committee thinks they don’t have a good chance of finishing in the top eight.
Even though Van Driel won on the DP World Tour this season and players like Rory Sabbatini and CT Pan won medals at previous Olympics, it wasn’t enough to change their minds.
Players’ Achievements
Joost Luiten has had a successful career with six DP World Tour wins, eight runner-up finishes, ten top-3 finishes, and 45 top-10s. He was also the best Dutch player at last week’s KLM Open.
“I am very sad to say I will not play the 2024 Olympics,” Joost wrote on Instagram. “The @nocnsf [Netherlands Olympic Committee] will not send me even though I have qualified by international golf federations criteria.”
He added that over his 18-year career, he has finished inside the top 10 almost 20% of the time in larger fields than what would be at the Olympics. This year alone, he did so 25% of the time .
Fans might think this decision is unfair given their achievements.
“It’s just mindblowing that they say I cannot finish top eight,” Joost continued. “They changed criteria in December 2023; if those rules were there from June, I would have qualified at two separate events.”
Van Driel echoed these sentiments: “No Olympics for Joost Luiten, Dewi Weber and myself although we qualified.” He called it a “sad day for Dutch golf” and criticized both committees involved for their decisions.
Weber also expressed her disappointment: despite qualifying based on her performance on the Epson Tour (one level below LPGA), she won’t be going to Paris either. She said it’s hurtful that her own country doesn’t see her as worthy of being an Olympian.
What do you think about this?
