Paris 2024 Olympics: Scheffler adds to the August 4th legend
World Number One produces extraordinary comeback to win Gold
In April it was GREEN, in August it is GOLD. Scottie Scheffler. WORLD NUMBER ONE. Masters Champion. Olympic Champion.
Scottie Scheffler wins the Men's Olympic Golf Tournament, with a final round of 62. Absolutely unreal.
They won all four majors, now the USA has the Olympic title too. The Golden Grand Slam for Uncle Sam.
“This was Golf’s Olympic coming out party”. The words of Rory McIlroy to Eurosport following the conclusion of his final round on Sunday. “I have never played in a golf tournament like this one” said the Northern Irishman. My word, have any of us ever witnessed a golf tournament like this one either in person or watching via television or streaming?
The Final Round always looked like being one to remember, with an incredible leaderboard, a myriad of storylines, a remarkable golf course and passionate, but fair support from incredible galleries. But what transpired on Sunday will go down in the history of the sport, for so many reasons.
For Scottie Scheffler this was a day which rubber-stamps his status as the World’s Number One golfer, finally claiming a title of significance outside his own country. His 7th victory of a year which could go down in the history of golf as one of the best ever, and yet another win in one of the great events of the sport - have no doubt the Olympic Games is that. It isn’t just the fact he won today, it was how he won today, who he beat and the incredible theatre he performed in.
For Olympic Golf it was a day which saw it come of age, a day when golf in the Olympics was cemented for decades to come. International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach was present earlier in the afternoon, being on the first tee when the final group teed off. He surely cannot help but be blown away by the staggering scenes at Le Golf National, and the remarkable leaderboard we had at the start of the final round.
The final five groups on Sunday featured golfers from Europe, North America, South America, Australasia, Africa, and Asia, with players representing United States of America, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Korea, Japan, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Great Britain and the hosts, France. 15 golfers from 6 continents, representing 11 countries, including the World’s Number 1, 2 and 3, the former World Number 1, winners of all golf’s Major Championships, and players enjoying a sensational year.
When golf made its bid to return to the Olympic Games back in 2009, this scenario must surely have been dreamed about, with the best golfers in the world competing for medals, alongside young, emerging talent, and representation for the host nation. And, wow what a representative France had this week.
Victor Perez, winner of three tournaments on the DP World Tour, arguably came into Paris 2024 under the radar, given the achievements of Mathieu Pavon this year, but it was Perez who coped with and fed off the remarkable home support. The 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Champion began the final round 6 shots behind the lead, and 5 out of the medals, so he knew he required a sensational charge if he was to grab a dream medal for France.
He was serenaded on to the first tee with Le Marseillais as the fans created a remarkable atmosphere at Le Golf National. Perez, a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland (previously Dundee) was born in South West France, in the shadow of the Pyrenees. On Sunday he nearly scaled an Olympic Mountain at Le Golf National.
After a slow, but solid start Perez gave the fans something to cheer about with birdies at 3 and 9, but he was still on the fringe of things, a distant 8 shots behind Jon Rahm when he made the turn. The 31-year-old caught fire on the back nine, scorching the Albatross Course over the space of five holes with four birdies and a spectacular eagle at 14. His birdie at the par-three 16th gave the fans thronging 15, 16, 17 and 18 something to get very excited about.
2 pars at 17 and 18 saw him post 16-under-par in the clubhouse. It looked like coming up short, but then given what else we saw on Sunday, you just could never discount anything. Perez spoke about Le Golf National after his round: “Obviously the amphitheatre at the end,15, 16, the big crowd right of 18, I think that's what makes Le Golf National so special is coming down the stretch when the crowd is there, and we saw it at the Ryder Cup even more where both mounds were completely covered with people and the grandstands and even the people on the first were trying to look over to 18 which is quite aways. This theatre at the end created an atmosphere that we don't get to experience that often, that stadium-like atmosphere which I think we all enjoy but we don't get often in golf”
Rahm and Schauffele implode spectacularly
Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele came into the final round as joint leaders, and midway through the front nine it appeared like it could be a shootout between the two 2-time Major Champions, as they both reached 16-under through 4 holes. Rahm then took control with 6, 7, 9 and 10 to open up a commanding 4-shot lead, and seemed set for Olympic glory.
Inexplicably Rahm would then collapse, with a stunning missed putt for par at 11, followed by a sloppy bogey at 12, and then a disastrous double-bogey at the 14th hole, which ended his hopes of a gold medal. A spectacular birdie-two at the par three 16th hole rekindled hopes of a Bronze, or even a Silver, but he fell away again with bogeys on the 17th and 18th. Remarkably he went from being five shots clear of Scheffler at the turn, to losing out on a medal completely.
Rahm was bereft following his round: “I don't remember the last time I played a tournament and I felt this -- I don't know what the word is because, you know, 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.
I've gotten the question, where this tournament would rank in my opinion or what I would think it would feel like to win, and I think by losing today, I'm getting a much deeper appreciation of what this tournament means to me than if I had won any medal, right. I'm getting a taste of how much it really mattered. I've been very honoured to represent Spain in many, many different events, and to not get this one done stings quite a bit”.
The Open and PGA Champion Schauffele fell away dramatically with back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13, before making a double-bogey at 15 to miss out on a medal by five strokes.
SHANK, by Matt Hooper
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