From near gold to missing a medal, Jon Rahm’s late stumble at the Olympics ‘stings’ | Golf News and Tour Information

Jon Rahm was on prime of the world. The 2-time main champion was six below par after 10 holes Sunday throughout the last spherical of the Olympics at Le Golf Nationwide exterior Paris and held a four-shot lead. There actually had been no shut pursuers.

Xander Schauffele was just one below on the day and never enjoying significantly nicely. Tommy Fleetwood was enjoying nicely, however seemingly had an excessive amount of floor to cowl. Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy and France’s Victor Perez had been there too. However once more, not shut.

Then it occurred. The wheels fell fully off for Rahm, who performed the subsequent 4 holes in 4 over par. He three putted the eleventh gap from 32 ft, didn’t rise up and down for par on 12, then made double bogey on the par-5 14th gap when he quick sided himself on his third shot, then didn’t get his chip shot onto the inexperienced, leaving it quick to roll again down the hill. He walked away with a 7.

All of this got here when Scottie Scheffler, who was six pictures again, was within the midst of a back-nine 29. Fleetwood made two fast birdies on 11 and 12 and Perez performed a five-hole stretch in six below par.

Late within the spherical it was clear Rahm wasn’t going to seize gold, however a medal was nonetheless inside attain till he bogeyed every of the ultimate two holes to shoot one-under 70 and tie for fifth place with McIlroy. He ended 4 pictures behind Scheffler and two pictures out of third place the place Matsuyama took house the bronze medal.

“I do not bear in mind the final time I performed a match and I felt this—I do not know what the phrase is as a result of, you recognize, I not solely really feel like I let myself down however to only not get it achieved for the entire nation of Spain, it is much more painful than I would really like it to be,” Rahm stated. “I’ve gotten the query, the place this match would rank in my view or what I might assume it will really feel wish to win, and I believe by dropping at present, I am getting a a lot deeper appreciation of what this match means to me than if I had gained any medal, proper.

“I am getting a style of how a lot it actually mattered. I have been very honored to symbolize Spain in lots of, many various occasions, and to not get this one achieved stings fairly a bit.”

The Spaniard gained the LIV Golf occasion final week in the UK, his first occasion wherever since successful the Masters in 2023. He opened with 67-66-66 in Paris and was in management till that fateful stretch.

“The three-putt scenario has been a difficulty the entire week,” he stated. “I believe I three-putted just about day by day and this isn’t one thing I am used to. I believe I had three, 4, 5, six three-putts for the week and that is method too many.

“The principle mistake is the third shot on 14. As soon as I missed the green, which may’t occur as a result of it is a powerful tee shot to hit … it was lay up, I am unable to do what I did on the third shot.”

“Possibly a little bit too early to consider that proper now. Performed in actually good golf. At one level between Friday and the entrance 9 at present, in all probability about nearly as good as I’ve performed since early final 12 months,” he stated. “In order that’s an enormous constructive to consider going in direction of the top of the season in LIV. I might have appreciated it play that good earlier within the 12 months however it’s good to on a fourth week in a row to putt up that efficiency. It is too unhealthy I could not end it off.”