Scottie Scheffler wins gold, and Olympic golf roars to life

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Scottie Scheffler stood atop the medal podium, located just off the 18th green at Le Golf National, swaying from side to side and mouthing the words to the national anthem. His eyes started welling up and for the first time all day, Scheffler seemed like he wasn’t in control. He drew an arm across his face, wiping away the tears.

Scheffler won the gold medal in the Olympic golf tournament here Sunday, his final round 62 putting him at 19-under, which was one shot better than Tommy Fleetwood, the silver medalist for Britain, and two ahead of Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who took bronze.

Scheffler’s magical year keeps finding new heights. His six tour wins include a second Masters title and a successful defense of his crown at The Players Championship. Might as well toss in a gold medal too, right?

“It’s definitely one I’ll remember for a long time,” Scheffler said afterward. “It’s emotional sitting on the podium and hearing your national anthem.”

But Sunday’s round was more than a win for Scheffler. The entire event amounted to a rousing triumph for Olympic golf, which was staged at the Summer Games in 1900 and ’04 and then disappeared from the Olympic program for 112 years. When it returned in 2016, it was met with skepticism from golfers and fans alike.

Several of the game’s top players opted out that year, including Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson. McIlroy said he wasn’t sure if he’d even follow the Olympic tournament that year, much less play it. He did compete in Tokyo five years later, where he finished tied for fourth, two strokes away from a bronze medal.

“I was in a certain mindset going into Tokyo and I left with a different mindset just like I’ve done a lot of times in my career, because I’m ignorant and naive, and I don’t give things much thought,” he said, “But once you experience things, you start to see what the hype is about.”

The Paris event felt bigger than a typical tour stop, more raucous than most majors and more meaningful than the past two Olympic tournaments. The Tokyo competition took place on an empty course; spectators weren’t allowed due to the pandemic.

This tournament, at Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup and is located about 20 miles west of Paris, couldn’t have been more different. Some 20,000 fans crowded around greens and tee boxes. They were packed in several people deep all across the course, sprinting to hills and jostling for sight lines.

“It’s honestly one of the best golf tournaments I’ve ever been involved in,” McIlroy said after Sunday’s final round, adding: “This was golf’s coming out party in the Olympic Games.”

And you didn’t need to be high on the leader board to feel the love. Just ask Matthieu Pavon, who finished last in the field at 13-over.

“After a few days in the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremonies with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower, and all the great moments we spent the last few days,” he said, “it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a major for me.”

Sunday’s final round had a boisterous, partisan feel, closer to a Ryder Cup than the John Deere Classic, and spectators were treated to a show. Spain’s Jon Rahm jumped out to a four-shot lead. McIlroy strung together four straight birdies. Scheffler, Fleetwood and Matsuyama drew roars hole after hole. Anyone who’d spent the past decade doubting Olympic golf could offer few complaints on how the final round – how the entire tournament – played out.

Particularly with so many of the game’s biggest names at the top of the leaderboard. Fans waved Spanish flags for Rahm, bellowed “Allez, Rory!” for McIlrory, lost their minds for Frenchman Victor Perez and chanted “Eu-rope! Eu-rope!” for anyone and everyone.

In eight years, the Olympic event has gone from afterthought and inconvenience to a stated goal.

It could evolve, too. The Olympic format – 72 holes, individual stroke play – has been questioned since the sport returned in 2016. Organizers are considering adding a mixed team event at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, one male and one female player from the same country competing over 36 holes at the Riviera Country Club.

As the afternoon sun dipped in the sky, Scheffler, Fleetwood and Matsuyama waved from the medal podium. The players walked off the course and will now return to their respective tours to finish out the season.

The majors are still where legacies are built, and the weekly tournaments still pay the bills. But Olympic golf made a big step in Paris.

“It is not a fifth major, but it has a lot of weight on a personal level,” Rahm said.

The players typically play for seven-figure purses. Even though they knew most of their respective Olympic committees would only dole out a modest bonus to medal winners – in addition to his gold here, Scheffler picked up a $37,500 bonus from the U.S. Olympics and Paralympic Committee – they’ve still embraced the event.

“I still think that the Ryder Cup is the best tournament we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it,” McIlroy said. “You think of the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport – we don’t play for money. It speaks volumes for what’s important in sport.”