Golf

2024 Olympics: Scottie Scheffler Caps Off Impressive Golf Season With Gold in Paris

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Aug 06, 2024 / 7569 Views

World number 1 Golfer Scottie Scheffler has acquired enough dexterity in crafting moments big enough to reward him with six wins through the 2024 season on the PGA Tour, and his latest gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics is the icing on the cake. The American created one more piece of History on Sunday, 4 August, but perhaps unknown to him as he went about his work at the Le Golf National, the enormity of this achievement would be beyond his imagination.

For Scottie Scheffler, the realisation probably only started to sink in slowly on the podium, after his coronation as the 2024 Paris Olympics champion in men’s golf. The weight of the occasion was immense, emotionally at least.

A piece of the Eiffel Tower dangled from his neck, but more than the heft of the gold medal, watching the ‘Stars and Stripes’ being raised to the lilting tunes of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’, softened up the battle-hardened professional.

Scottie Scheffler grabs the gold at 2024 Olympics

As he murmured the lyrics of his national anthem, tears flowed. Flanked by Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood (silver) and Japan’s Hideki Matusyama (bronze), the mind would have also done a recap of the day and events that led Olympics debutant Scheffler to become the second American after Tokyo Olympics champion Xander Schauffele to win gold.

Despite the glare, and the focus on what it took to stage the first final-round comeback at the Olympics, which pipped Fleetwood by a shot, Scheffler played down his legacy as a champion golfer, quite like he had done at the start of the week in Paris.

There was a lot to brag about, like shooting the 9-under 62 to finish one shot shy of Rory Sabbatini’s Tokyo Olympic record of 61, and of course the magical total of 19-under 265 in Paris.

“I don’t really think too much about my legacy as a Golfer. I love being out here comPeting. It’s one of my favourite things in the world to do and it’s a great joy in my life. I’m just trying to stay in present and working as hard as I can and trying to get the most out of myself,” said Scheffler.

Bragging rights

There is one thing though, that he can boast of after this week. Right through his career, even in his hour of triumphs on the PGA Tour, Scheffler has been asked if the sport he plays qualifies as one. After the Paris high, he has an answer. “I can brag that I play an Olympic sport,” Scheffler laughed.

The gold wasn’t mentioned, instead the pride of being American came forth. “I got emotional the other night watching the gold medal ceremony for women’s gymnastics. I take tremendous pride in coming over here and representing my country. It was just very emotional being up there on stage there as the flag is being raised and sitting there singing the National Anthem. That’s definitely one I’ll remember for a long time.”

To pull it off on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler needed to be calm and make a lot of birdies to become the first World No 1 to win the gold in the Olympics men’s golf event. Starting Sunday four shots back of overnight leaders Spain’s Jon Rahm and Fleetwood, Scheffler put together a back-nine 29 (6-under), which included four consecutive birdies from Holes 14 to 17. In the process, his 72-hole total of 265 bettered the previous Olympic record of 266 by Schauffele in Tokyo.

Myriad emotions

The Le Golf National holds fond memories for Fleetwood. The last time the Ryder Cup came calling here was in 2018, and the Briton was the forefront on debut in this continental battle by helping Europe beat the US.

There is more, as the year before, Fleetwood, the current World No 11, added the Open de France (the country’s national open) to his list of pro wins.

The start at the Albatros course, the venue of the Olympic competition, was a signal that another special week lay in store. With a share of the lead since Round 2, Fleetwood was aiming to be the second Briton to top the Olympics after Justin Rose in golf’s comeback at Rio 2016.

Till deep into the final day, hope floated that Fleetwood would make his second Olympic appearance a lot more fruitful. In the event of the Scheffler onslaught, Fleetwood had to keep matching the effort, but the bogey on the 17th proved to be the undoing. To close a round with a tough birdie putt is never easy, more so on a stage like the Olympics.

With par evaporated the chances of forcing a playoff, but Fleetwood took what came his way with grace. Not since the Masters in April, where he finished T3, had a result brought cheer, hence the gratitude.

“There’s a part of me that’s disappointing, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic Medalist. I was proud of the way I played and I take that away from it. I haven’t been in the mix that much recently, and being back there and playing well and feeling how I felt again, I’m unbelievably proud to be an Olympic medalist,” said Fleetwood.

For Matsuyama, the bronze doused the pain he had been carrying from his homeland three years ago. At Tokyo, he was part of the seven-man group vying for bronze in the playoff. Missing out was a bitter pill to swallow, and Matsuyama’s campaign in Paris had grit written all over it.

The 36-hole co-leader went into Sunday T4, and the bogey-free 65 was enough to get him a podium spot, though Matsuyama felt he was in with a chance for gold till the Hole 17.

An accompaniment was the distinction of becoming the second Asian to be called an Olympic medallist after Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan (Tokyo, bronze), and the former Masters champion is already eager at the prospect of teeing off at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

With the Riviera Country Club the chosen venue, Matsuyama fancies his chances after his win at the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational in February.

“Getting rewarded for taking third place is something that never happens in our sport, so I’m very happy about that. As for LA, I already won on that course earlier this year, so I definitely want to participate. I just need to work hard for the next four years so I can get in,” said Matsuyama.

Victor Perez had the distinction of hitting the inaugural tee shot on Thursday, and aware that there wouldn’t be another chance in his career span, the Frenchman arrived at the range well before his tee time, determined to ensure that drive off the tee box matched the enormity of the occasion.

Perez, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, stepped up through the week to give the French fans the opportunity to give him a rousing reception on the final 18th.

Shooting a 63 on Sunday, Perez was in contention, and could have had a medal in case of a shuffle atop the leaderboard, but to mark the highest finish by a golfer from the host nation in the men’s competition was a distinction in itself.

Soaking in the adulation — interviews, autographs and photo opportunities — Perez left the Le Golf National having made his country proud with sole fourth.

Momentum is a critical component in sport at this level, and throw in national pride, we have a heady concoction.

Jon Rahm had both, the win at LIV Golf’s UK chapter coming into the Olympics, and donning the Spanish national colours in Paris. The mix worked very well for the former World No 1 till he commenced his final nine holes of the tournament. The string of bogeys, especially between Holes 11-14, saw the comfortable four-shot cushion vanish in no time.

Dropping from the summit to T5 is a feeling Rahm struggled to explain. “I don’t remember the last time I played a tournament and felt this. I not only 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.

“By losing, I’m getting a much deeper appreciation of what this tournament means to me than if I had won any medal. I’ve been honoured to represent Spain in many, many different events, and to not get this done stings quite a bit,” he said.

Despite the two wins on the PGA Tour this season, Rory McIlroy believes he remains golf’s “Nearly Man”. A win at the Majors continues to elude him — the closest he came to ending the drought was the 2nd at the US Open, and the T5 in Paris in Irish colours to back the loss in the playoff for bronze in Tokyo rankles.

“I obviously want that tide to turn and go from the Nearly Man to back to winning golf tournaments. It’s all well and good saying I’m close and close and close. Once I actually step through the threshold and turn these near misses and close calls into wins, that’s what I need to do,” said the former World No 1.

More about Scottie Scheffler and other highlights of the Olympics men’s golf event here.

(Main images: Olympic Golf/ Team USA/ Instagram; Featured image: Olympic Golf/ Instagram)