If there was any doubt over the last couple of months, Scottie Scheffler erased it Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics: The 28-year-old American remains the gold standard in professional golf. Scheffler shot a final-round, course-record-tying 62 at Le Golf National to win the Olympic gold medal, finishing the week 19 under for a one-stroke victory over Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood.
With a 29 on the back nine as part of a near-flawless bogey-free round, Scheffler became the first No. 1-ranked golfer in the world to win Olympic gold. Fleetwood, who scored eight birdies himself in a silver medal-winning effort, was undone by three bogeys on the day. The Englishman finished one clear of Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who claimed the bronze medal three years after losing a playoff for third place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
With his medal victory, Scheffler becomes the second straight American male to win gold joining Xander Schauffele, who was victorious at those 2020 Tokyo Games. The win was Scheffler's seventh of the year, an effort highlighted triumphs at the Masters and Players Championship.
While Scheffler earning the top spot on the Olympic podium is unsurprising given his stature and form, the way in which he navigated his way to the summit was impressive even for the best player in the game. Beginning the day four off the 54-hole pace set by Schauffele and Spain's Jon Rahm, Scheffler set his course immediately.
Converting a 10-foot birdie chance on his opening hole, the shuffling right hander was officially off and running. A chip-in birdie came soon after on No. 2 before Scheffler took advantage of the accessible par-5 3rd for the third straight circle on his scorecard.
Despite his sizzling start, Scheffler saw his name drift well off the gold medal position during the middle portion of his front nine. With Rahm running rampage around Le Golf National -- scoring seven birdies in his first 10 holes -- the Spaniard opened up a four-stroke lead with eight to play.
It appeared certain gold would fall into Rahm's hands, but the nerves came in waves. Playing a four-hole stretch in 4 over, including a double-bogey seven on the course's easiest hole, Rahm relinquished his hold on gold.
In his place, Scheffler stepped through with birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 ultimately being met with a run for the ages a few holes later. Four straight birdies from Nos. 14-17 included pinpoint accuracy with his wedges, clutch conversions from inside 10 feet and an unlikely -- and ultimately deciding -- birdie on the difficult par-4 17th.
2024 Olympic medalists
Silver -- Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain): Sitting in bronze medal position at the start of day, Fleetwood found trouble early. With charges set forth by titans of the game and an opening bogey put on the card, the Englishman rebounded in impressive fashion. Tacking on seven birdies over his next 11 holes, Fleetwood moved into a share of the lead thanks to back-to-back two-shot swings on Nos. 11 and 12.
While he failed to make birdie on the par-5 14th, he carded one last birdie on No. 16 to regain a share of the lead alongside Scheffler. A dropped shot on the difficult par-4 17th put him in the silver position alone before he effectively navigated the dangerous closing hole. Fleetwood's silver medal represents Great Britain's fourth in the five playings of golf in the Olympics.
Bronze -- Hideki Matsuyama (Japan):After failing to emerge from the seven-man playoff for the bronze medal in Tokyo, Matsuyama made amends in Paris. The man from Japan was among the leaders at the halfway stage but ultimately fell off the pace due to a sloppy putting performance on Saturday. That club came back with a vengeance early on Sunday as he grabbed four birdies in his first six holes.
The heater continued into the initial portion of the back nine as Matsuyama made birdie on Nos. 10 and 12 to reach 17 under for the competition. While he did not add a circle over his last six holes, he also did not add a square which proved to be enough to claim Japan's first medal in Olympics golf.
Notable finishers
Victor Perez (France): The home nation's chances at medaling were close to zero to begin the day as Perez entered the final round at 8 under. A slow start did not help the cause, but he found his groove across his final 12 holes to give his fellow countrymen and women something to cheer as he finished 16 under. A front-nine 34 was an appetizer for a back-nine main dish that included a run from Nos. 12-16 where the Frenchman went 3-3-3-3-2 to play those five holes in 6 under. A couple pars on the tough close gave Perez a 29 on the inward half, but it ultimately proved that a 28 was needed for a playoff for bronze.
Jon Rahm (Spain): Rahm's was shocking. The best player in this competition through the first 63 holes, he opened up a four-stoke lead with eight holes to play. Only then did the big left miss begin to pester as back-to-back bogeys and a double bogey on the par-5 14th dropped him not only out of the lead but out of medal position. A birdie on the par-3 16th gave him a look at the bronze but two more bogeys on his final two holes put the finishing touches on a disastrous final stretch. While Scheffler shot 29 on the back nine, Rahm signed for a 39 to finish 15 under, four back of gold.
"I've been saying all week that I would know how much this means when the tournament was over," Rahm said. "Sometimes you know when you win, but you definitely know when you don't win it, and this just stings on a different emotional level. Hurts right now more than I expected."
Rory McIlroy (Ireland):Another Olympics and another heartbreak for the 35-year-old. McIlroy entered the day with an outside chance to medal but gave himself a chance thanks to quick starts on both nines. After turning in 2 under, McIlroy caught fire with five straight birdies to begin his back nine. That pushed him to 17 under and well in contention for any of the medals. However, just as his iron play was beginning to peak, it sunk. A poor wedge shot into the treacherous par-4 15th found a watery grave and resulted in an ill-timed double bogey -- McIlroy's lone blemish over the weekend -- that ultimately sealed his fate alongside Rahm and just off the podium.
Xander Schauffele (United States):The overnight leader and reigning gold medalist had the look of successfully defending his crown. After taking advantage of the first par 5 on the golf course, Schauffele connected from distance for another birdie on the next hole. He failed to keep pace with the leaders through the middle portion of his round as sloppy ball striking was met with untimely misses on the greens. After getting within three of the lead with a birdie on No. 12, Schauffele shriveled up with a couple bogeys squandering his medal chances, ultimately going from T1 to open the final round to seven back of Scheffler.
Rick Gehman, Patrick McDonald and Greg DuCharme recap Scottie Scheffler's flawless Sunday and the 2024 Olympic Men's Golf competition at Le Golf National.
