Scottie Scheffler shoots an incredible 62 to take the gold medal in the men's Olympic golf event with Tommy Fleetwood in silver and Hideki Matsuyama in bronze
Maybe it was predicting the inevitable but the final day of the men's Olympic Golf competition had all the hallmarks of being an enthralling final round. Major-esque in so many ways, the field, the course, the crowds and of course the players. Although we can argue about the format another day, as golf fans, we all know what to expect from a "Major" Sunday and to not sound like a broken record, it all comes down to that final back nine.
Although it is just another 72 stroke play tournament, an Olympic final round does feel very different and with gold, silver and bronze medals available for your country, it's not just the top spot we're focused on. You could argue that for some caution is cast aside as it's an 18 hole push to Olympic glory.
These (now 58) men, took to Le Golf National with a sense of national pride and they did not give up until the final putt of their round dropped.
I mentioned the final nine holes, but most of the action pivoted around the final six holes for the leaders. With John Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood one shot ahead at 18-under-par, the three medals were a long way from being decided with multiple contenders in the mix. Rahm was nursing two dropped shots at 11 and 12, but medal hopes were still in his sights.
For Rahm, an Olympic medal ended up being out of reach with a devastating double bogey on 14, with two further bogeys on 17 and 18.
Disappointment for Jon Rahm
After finishing, the Spaniard expressed deep disappointment after not securing a medal in Paris, revealing the significant emotional weight the Olympics carried for him. "I don't remember the last time I played a tournament and felt this. I not only feel like I let myself down but to just not get it done for the whole country of Spain, it's a lot more painful than I would like it to be," he confessed. Representing Spain was an honour Rahm cherished, making the outcome sting even more. "I've been very honored to represent Spain in many, many different events, and to not get this one done stings quite a bit," he admitted.
Tommy Fleetwood within touching distance
As for fellow gold medal contender, at this point, Great Britain's Fleetwood had had a near faultless round, out in three-under-par and with two more birdies on 11 and 12. One or two more birdies on the way in could have been enough. He duly delivered on 16 but with a bogey on 17, he needed a final hole birdie to force a play-off for the gold medal, it wasn't to be.
It may not have been gold, but with a silver in his hand at his second Olympics, the British player said: "I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic Medalist… I'm unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went.
"Standing on that podium with a medal in front of the crowd was one of the most amazing moments I've had as a golfer."
With six holes to play, Fleetwood may have thought the potential play-off would have been with Rahm or maybe Hideki Matsuyama who was six-under-par for his round after 12 holes. But the person he was trying to match was none other than the World Number one Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler strides to Olympic gold
Scheffler knew he had to put his best foot forward in the final round. "Well, I'd like to be leading. I feel like I haven't had my best stuff the last few days but I've done enough to hang in there and stay in the tournament. Around this course, you can get hot. You saw Nicolai had a really nice round today, and I'm going to need something like that tomorrow if I'm going to be holding a medal."
Let me remind you, at this point, that Nicolai Højgaard shot a nine-under-par 62 on Saturday to surge up the leaderboard. With a 62 possible and a dogged determination which drives Scheffler to be the best, he showed everyone why he is the best male player in the world. Three shots off the lead with five holes to play holes to play, he flipped the switch - four birdies and a par later, he posted a record-equalling nine-under-par 62 and a clubhouse gold medal lead of 19-under-par.
Like it has been on so many occasions, the American took command of the field and put on a phenomenal final round display to get claim his first Olympic gold medal on the first time of asking.
A Major, five PGA Tour victories, the birth of his first child, and now an Olympic champion:
"It's emotional sitting there on the podium and hearing your National Anthem… I'm proud to be going home with a medal.
"I'm proud of the country I'm from. I'm proud to be American… I take tremendous pride in coming over here and representing my country."
Hideki Matsuyama's redemption for Tokyo
Rounding out the podium was Japan's Hideki Matsuyama. Having missed out on an Olympic medal at Toyko, this one felt extra sweet. Even though he may not have featured as much in the coverage, the Major winner, had an extremely good round of 65, with four birdies on the front nine and two on the back.
Reflecting on his experience:
"After missing out in Tokyo, winning this medal feels like redemption and a significant accomplishment for me and my supporters."
Questions around golf being an Olympic sport and the players being invested in the moment, I'll leave you with some thoughts from the newest Olympic Champion, Scottie Scheffler:
"I think any time you can be part of the Olympics is really special and for golf to be on the Olympic stage is a tremendous amount of fun for us. I think after the first Olympics, I think it held pretty high place in our game and I think it still stands today.
"It's truly special to be part of the Olympic Games and be here with the best athletes in the world and to represent our country is extremely special. I'm definitely proud to be a part of it."
View the full Paris 2024 men's Olympic Golf competition leaderboard here.
