The American Scottie Scheffler and his insatiable winning voracity have reached a new milestone: winning the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His legend, enlarged this year with successes of enormous prestige, is based in equal parts on the what and the how, on the list of victories that distinguish him as the best in the world today and on the devastating way of obtaining them, this time offering a golf master class that will last in time.
Scottie Scheffler came to Paris with a backpack full of victories -six this season, including the always-desired The Masters- and takes with him another precious treasure that increases his halo of indestructible player this year.
His final round, a flawless master class, included 9 birdies without fail, a devastating nine under par that fulfilled Jon Rahm’s predictions on the previous day: “to win it is not enough to make 1 or 2 under par, you have to make many birdies”.
The Basque golfer also fulfilled that obligatory promise for ten holes, when it was the Spanish player who acted as a beacon for all the others, showing the world his undoubted talent. Long and precise tee shots, extraordinary approaches and devastating putts achieved their goal.
One, two, three… up to six under par even after the halfway point of the course, four strokes ahead of the best of his rivals, all unable to provide their game with the cyclopean efficiency that Jon Rahm displayed one hole after the other, an insurmountable Jon Rahm.
But then came the 11th hole, a par 3, which was resolved by 4 strokes. And then came the 12th, a par 4 finished in 5 strokes. And only a little later the par 5 14th hole, which refused to surrender until Jon Rahm executed his seventh stroke.
Something inside him had broken, a painful click that led to a prolonged despondency beyond the conclusion of the 18 holes. “I have to analyze it, you learn from everything. I’m very sorry for the people in Spain who have followed golf and supported us.”
The wide lead of four strokes had evaporated in one fell swoop, too many concessions for those who, from behind, acted as a dog of prey and took advantage to sink their fangs as soon as the slightest opportunity arose.
The gestures of joy, enthusiasm and lively happiness changed sides drastically. Jon Rahm’s monopoly was ceded to an uncompromising and merciless Scottie Scheffler, protagonist of a historic comeback that also surpassed at breakneck speed those who deserved the silver and bronze medals, the British Tommy Fleetwood and the Japanese Hideki Mitsuyama, one and two strokes behind the winner, one and two strokes away from that Olympic glory that for ten holes of the last day belonged exclusively to Jon Rahm.
An unfortunate hole that dynamizes a remarkable performance
During a good part of this last day, David Puig cooperated to increase the good Spanish sensations, personally building a brilliant performance that allowed him to reach the Top 10 and, who knows, a possible diploma if he had maintained his praiseworthy streak of initial successes.
Yes, he missed on the 4th, a bogey that for a long time became an anecdote, long compensated by a string of birdies that seemed to have no end (holes 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 14), to the point that, at times, he distinguished himself as the most successful player of the round with 5 under par.
But then came the 15th hole, a place on the course with a strong presence of water where David Puig literally drowned. Three times the ball into the liquid element generated a huge penalty, 9 strokes that diluted the outstanding work done until that unfortunate point. Worse still, the shock seemed to have no end, with two final double bogeys that tarnished a record, 40th place, which could have been much better.
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AROUND OLYMPIC GOLF
Jon Rahm: “It has been a very golden ending”.
The Basque golfer points out the outcome of the 14th hole as the key to the day’s development
Visibly touched and with his eyes on the ground at times, but professional as always, Jon Rahm has launched a message to the thousands of fans who have supported him from our country in these four days of golf: “I’m disappointed, this end has been very painful, and it bothers me more for all the support received from Spain on and off the course. I wanted to give them that joy, but it could not be”.
The adjective “painful” was repeated several times in his appearance before the media. Jon does not hide the fact that, although at no time did he see the medal “done”, he did see it there, within his reach with that -20 in the 10th. “With how well I had played, to think of having no chance of anything at the end… It’s hard to think about it, to be honest”, he said in a quiet voice.
The key? Contrary to what some may think, it was not in the bogeys on 11 and 12; for the Basque, it was in the double bogey on the 14th. There are things you can’t do on this course. That cost me two strokes. If I make par there I have a chance to get to the last holes well, but…”, sighed the player from Barrika in an effort to try to understand what happened in that stretch.
Jon admitted that he suffered a mental disconnection after the 14th hole, and that has taken its toll on the 15th, resolved with a par, and even on the 16th, with a birdie. But despite everything he kept fighting for a medal, even knowing that the gold was slipping away.
Possibly speaking more to himself than to the media, Jon Rahm repeated that “you learn from everything”, but concluded that recovering from what happened in that final stretch at Golf National will cost him “much more” than on other occasions.
Despite everything, the disappointment and the pain that has come to light, always framed within what this is, sport, Jon Rahm has left two positive notes: the desire to be in four years in Los Angeles -even making clear that “there is much to do until then”- and the good balance that throws his week and the positive things it has brought him. “As hard as it is for me to think about it right now,” almost whispered the Spanish champion in his bittersweet farewell to his first Olympic Games.
David Puig, penalized “for being aggressive until the end”.
“I had to be aggressive from the first hole, and that has penalized me,” lamented a remarkable David Puig all week… until the 15th hole when he was as brave as the situation required and paid for it with a painful 9.
The Catalan golfer revealed his strategy openly: “to try to get as high as possible, and for that we had to be aggressive”. He showed an excellent level for more than half of the round, but the 15th hole was a turning point, in this case a negative one. David explained it clearly: “I made a bad swing on the tee and the ball bounced relatively badly. I went into the water and from then on… the flag was short and I had to continue being aggressive to save the par and continue with that streak. And I went in the water a couple more times.”
With a face of evident resignation, David acknowledged being “disappointed” by that end, but he has not stopped appreciating the experience he has lived in Paris. “I’m looking forward to repeating in four years. Representing Spain is a pride, I hope to have the option to return. Being here is a pride, there is a lot of work behind to be able to be here. I would have liked to do better, but the fact of being here and sharing it with Jon has been a pride”, indicated a David Puig that six months ago hardly dreamed of disputing these Games and that has signed a role of high remarkable during great part of them.
The champion’s prediction: “winning the gold medal is one of the reasons why I’m here this week”.
Last Monday, Scottie Scheffeler, number 1 in the World Ranking and new Olympic champion, did not mince his words in his first appearance before the media in the press center of the Golf National. The American golfer said, full of ambition, that “winning the gold medal is one of the reasons why I’m here this week”. Six days later, Scottie Schffeler has won the third gold medal for the United States in the men’s golf competition after Charles Sands in Paris 1900 and Xander Schauffele in Tokyo 2020.
World No. 1 and Olympic champion, a new historic milestone
It had not happened until now, but Scottie Scheffler’s extraordinary performance in the last round of the tournament, embodied in a sensational 9-hole card, has led the American to achieve a historic milestone in the framework of a dream season. Scheffler’s goal was to become the first player with this distinction to win the Olympic gold medal around his neck. Scottie Scheffler, who came to Paris with an impressive record of no less than six victories in 2024, including The Masters, added the Olympic gold medal to his belt.
The record for the lowest individual score is still held by Rory Sabbatini.
Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard and American Scottie Scheffler completed their third and fourth rounds of the competition with 62 strokes, respectively, an impressive record that was the second lowest score in an 18-hole round in the history of the Olympic Games. They have only been surpassed by the 61 of South African-Slovakian Rory Sabbatini, who ended up receiving the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The best, where they belong
Seven of the top fifteen golfers in the World Golf Ranking -Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Åberg- were in the top 10 at the end of the third day, highlighting why the fourth and final day, all separated by such a narrow margin, has seen so many alternatives at the top of the table.
Olympic golf winners
2024 – Paris
Men’s competition: Gold: Scottie Scheffler (USA); Silver: Tommy Fleetwod (Great Britain); Bronze: Hideki Mitsuyama (Japan).
Women’s competition: To be held from August 7 to 10.
2020 – Tokyo
Men’s Competition: Gold: Xander Schauffele (USA); Silver: Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia); Bronze: C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei)
Women’s Competition: Gold: Nelly Korda (USA); Silver: Mone Inami (Japan); Bronze: Lydia Ko (New Zealand)
2016 – Rio de Janeiro)
Men’s competition: Gold: Justin Rose (Great Britain); Silver: Henrik Stenson (Sweden); Bronze: Matt Kuchar (USA).
Women’s competition: Gold: Inbee Park (Korea); Silver: Lydia Ko (New Zealand); Bronze: Shanshan Feng (China).
1904 – St. Louis
Men’s competition: Gold: George Lyon (Canada); Silver: Chandler Egan (USA); Bronze: Burt McKinnie (USA) and Francis Newton (USA).
Women’s competition: not held
1900 – Paris
Men’s competition: Gold: Charles Sands (USA); Silver: Walter Rutherford (Great Britain); Bronze: David Robertson (Great Britain).
Women’s competition: Gold: Margaret Abbott (USA); Silver: Pauline Whittier (USA); Bronze: Daria Pratt (USA).
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Olympic Golf Key Dates
August 5: Matches and tee times announced for women’s golf competition
5 August: 16:00 a.m. – Press conference with Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Muñoz at the Golf National Press Center.
August 7-10: Women’s Golf Competition
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