Great Scottie! World No.1 golfer Scottie Scheffler produces incredible final round to snare Olympic gold
American Scottie Scheffler has shed tears of joy atop the Olympic podium after delivering an eye-watering demonstration of why he’s the world’s supreme golfer.
The 28-year-old delivered the round of his life to land the gold medal at Le Golf National course outside Paris, a dazzling nine-under par 62 that made light of a four-shot overnight deficit and enabled him to nick a single-stroke triumph over Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood.
On a Sunday afternoon when the cream of the world’s top golfers offered a tour de force in the sunshine for 30,000 fans, Scheffler, already a six-time winner on the PGA tour this year, still stood in a class all of his own.
“He’s doing it on a weekly basis which is very, very hard to do. The last one I saw do it was Tiger (Woods),” sighed his awed Australian rival Jason Day, who finished tied for ninth.
“He’s doing some things we haven’t seen in a long while – and it’s impressive to watch.”
More than impressive, the 28-year-old double Masters champ covered the final pressurised nine holes in an incredible 29 strokes, featuring six birdies, setting a red-hot target of 19-under par that left his elite pursuers, one by one, all crumbling.
Joint-overnight leader Jon Rahm led by three at one point but collapsed, Rory McIlroy found the water when right in the thick of the right royal battle, and tied the Spaniard for fifth. In-form reigning champ Xander Schauffele bombed to ninth.
French hero Victor Perez shot a wonderful last-round 63 – the cheers could probably be heard 30km away in Paris itself – but he fell just a shot outside the medals to the crowd’s chagrin.
Fleetwood (66) was level going to the penultimate hole, but bogeyed it to drop a shot behind, before a six-foot par putt at the last salvaged the silver, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama took bronze on 17 under following his 65.
Day finished with a three-under 68 for a 12 under total, but after a brief early charge on a day of fabulous low scoring golf, he found water at the 15th and his fourth sub-70 round was only enough to earn him joint-ninth place.
The Queenslander’s teammate Min Woo Lee, whose chances had evaporated after a poor first round, also ended with a 68 that earned him a tie for 22nd on seven under as big sister Minjee took time out her preparations for the women’s event to follow him around the course.
But it was Scheffler’s day, a monumental triumph made extra special by his wife Meredith and baby son Bennett being there to watch – and it all reduced him to a most un-Scheffler-like show of tears on the podium.
“It was just emotional being upon there on stage with the flag raised and the national anthem playing, it’s definitely something I’ll remember for a long time,” he said, promising us that he “cried pretty good too” after winning the Masters in April, only in a private moment in a bathroom break.
“I try not to rank accomplishments against each other but going home with an Olympic medal is a very special feeling,” added the man who really clinched the deal with an 18ft putt at the 17th.
Briton Fleetwood, who fluffed a chip on 17 and failed fatally to get up-and-down, smiled: “Part of me is disappointed, but at same time, I never dreamed I’d be an Olympic medallist. So I’m still unbelievably happy and proud.”
So he should have been with the whole spectacular occasion almost feeling like the day golf really did belong at the Olympics, as if it were really the fifth major.
“The leaderboard was unbelievable – it was a great spectacle for golf, and if you can’t enjoy those times, then you shouldn’t be playing golf,” said Fleetwood.
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