Days before the 2024 US Open, Carlos Ortiz claimed his maiden LIV Golf title in Houston, but rather than head over to Pinehurst No.2 to see if he could keep that momentum going at the Major, he had an unwanted week off.
That’s because earlier that month, he had narrowly missed out on a place in the field via Final Qualifying, his last chance to secure a spot.
Ortiz’s US Open fate may have been sealed before his Houston win, but afterwards, he made his feelings clear on the situation, which saw him and many other LIV Golfers miss out due to plunging world rankings.
He said: “I think with time, we're going to get back into the Majors because I know that I'm one of the best players in the world right now, and I deserve to be there. But the way things are happening right now, it's kind of hard.”
He had a similar gripe the following month over the Olympics qualification criteria, which also relied on world rankings. On that occasion, the Mexican qualified, but some LIV Golfers inevitably missed out, leading him to claim politics had caused the problem.
He said: “It's just the situation in golf right now, it's unfair. Especially Olympic Games, you want to have the best golfers right here, but politics somehow manage things still. I still feel there's golfers that should be here and couldn't be here because of what has happened, you know.
"I think the Olympic Games definitely should be neutral. They should have not turned away ranking players accordingly, especially now that the World Ranking points don't really work anymore."
He added: "The solution would be people up there to leave their egos on the side and find a common ground.
"I think there is definitely common ground, and I think both ways, they have to find - give - you cannot take everything. As I'm saying, both sides have to give something up to find common ground. I think it's a matter of time now but they are still taking time."
Since then, progress has indeed been made, with the USGA offering a direct pathway to the US Open via LIV Golf’s Individual Standings, and Ortiz’s Torque GC teammate Joaquin Niemann taking advantage to join 14 LIV Golfers in the field.
This time around, Ortiz is among them, having made no mistake in Final Qualifying to ensure his first appearance since 2023. He’s not just making up the numbers, either. After a third round of 67 at Oakmont, Ortiz headed back to the clubhouse just three back of the lead and firmly in contention for his maiden Major title.
It could have been even better for Ortiz but for his one bogey of the day coming on the 18th, but he will no doubt still be satisfied with his day’s work, which included birdies at the 4th, 6th, 12th and 14th.
Afterwards, Ortiz, who will also play in The Open after winning the International Series Macau, insisted he's worth his place in Majors, saying: "I was just excited to be able to start playing Majors again, because I feel like I’m playing good enough to compete on these things and it’s just been hard for me to get into this, but now I have this and The Open Championship next, so I’m excited about that."
Ortiz's third round will not only give him huge confidence heading into Sunday, but it leaves him in with a genuine shot at the title. And if he wins? Then, not only would he not need to worry about making the US Open field for the next decade, he’d also guarantee his place in the other three Majors for the next five years, regardless of his form at the time.
