Dutch golfer Joost Luiten has won a legal battle for the opportunity to represent his native country in the Paris Olympics. Despite meeting the Olympic ranking criteria, the Netherlands Golf Federation originally decided not to send Luiten, a six-time winner on the DP World Tour, to compete in the prestigious tournament.

According to the Associated Press, Luiten's chances of participating in the Olympics seemed bleak after the Dutch committee overseeing the event believed he and other male golfers did not have a realistic shot at winning a medal. At the time of the decision, Luiten was ranked 147th in the Official World Golf Ranking and 40th in the International Golf Federation (IGF) rankings.

Interestingly, the Dutch committee required male golfers to be ranked within the top 27 in the IGF rankings, despite examples of lower-ranked players achieving success at previous Olympics. For instance, in the Tokyo Olympics, Rory Sabbatini won a silver medal for Slovakia while being ranked 161st in the world, and C.T. Pan of Taiwan, ranked 181st, won a playoff for the bronze.

Seeking justice, Luiten took legal action in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on Tuesday. The judge's ruling sided with Luiten, ordering the Dutch committee to immediately register him for the Paris Olympics or face fines. Luiten shared the news on social media, expressing his delight at the outcome.

It remains uncertain whether the ruling will also allow Darius Van Driel, who was previously ruled out, to participate in the Olympics. Van Driel, ranked 49th in the IGF rankings and 237th in the world, may benefit from the court's decision. Additionally, Dewi Weber, ranked 58th in the IGF rankings but 302nd in the world rankings, was denied the opportunity to compete on the women's side.

The Dutch Olympic committee initially intended to send Anne Van Dam, ranked 34th in the IGF rankings and 108th in the world, as the sole representative for the women's golf event.

Joost Luiten's victory in this legal battle provides him with a chance to return to the Olympic stage after competing in Rio in 2016, where he finished tied for 27th. As a professional golfer for 18 years, Luiten has achieved a career-high world ranking of 28th in 2014, with his best major finish being a T21 at the 2012 PGA Championship.

As the countdown to the Paris Olympics continues, golf fans will now eagerly await the official confirmation of Luiten's participation in the highly anticipated tournament.