Scottie Scheffler steals Olympic gold medal with epic comeback in Paris

In a shocking Olympics ultimate spherical Sunday, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pulled off an unimaginable come-from-behind efficiency to steal the Olympic gold medal.

Starting the day 4 photographs behind leaders Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm at Le Golf Nationwide, Scheffler blitzed the again 9 for six birdies to shoot a nine-under 62 and take dwelling the title for the U.S. England’s Tommy Fleetwood completed second to win the silver medal, with Hideki Matsuyama incomes the bronze for Japan.

“It’s fairly excessive up there,” Scheffler stated after the spherical about the place his gold medal ranks amongst profession accomplishments. “Anytime you’re in a position to symbolize your nation is fairly particular. This was a enjoyable week and it was nice representing the USA, and I’m proud to be going dwelling with a medal.”

However for the primary half of Sunday’s finale, the reigning Masters champion was one thing of an afterthought, trailing the leaders as different stars initially seemed destined for the rostrum.

The 54-hole leaders began regular with pars on the first two holes, nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for them to warmth up. Each Schauffele and Rahm matched one another with back-to-back birdies on the par-5 third and par-4 4th to achieve 16 below, and taking part in accomplice Fleetwood ran his birdie streak to three-straight holes on the identical time to enhance to fifteen below.

In the meantime, Matsuyama, who shot even par on Saturday, acquired off to a blazing begin with three birdies over his first 5 holes on Sunday to get again into rivalry at 14 below. However he wasn’t carried out there. Matsuyama rolled in a 10-footer for one more birdie at 6 to get inside one shot of the lead.

On the par-4 sixth, Schauffele hit his method nicely within Rahm’s. However Rahm drained his 23-footer for his third birdie of the day. When Schauffele’s nearer birdie strive burned the sting, Rahm was within the lead alone at 17 below.

After Rahm recorded two extra birdies at 7 and 9 to shut out the entrance 9, and Schauffele made bogey at 8, the Spanish star and two-time main champion began pulling away from the pack.

However whereas the gap between Rahm and Schauffele was rising, two different gamers have been desperately making an attempt to maintain tempo with Rahm. Fleetwood, who was three below on the entrance 9, added one other birdie on the eleventh. In the meantime, two early back-nine birdies moved Hideki Matsuyama to 6 below via 12 holes, leaving them each tied for second at 17 below.

Simply when it began to appear that the gold medal was Rahm’s to lose, his cruise management shut off with back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12. Moments after Rahm’s par strive at 12 narrowly missed, Fleetwood rolled in a birdie, and similar to that Rahm’s four-shot benefit had disappeared, with each gamers tied at 18 below.

Rory McIlroy, who had appeared fully out of rivalry when Rahm went on his front-nine cost, opened his personal again 9 with 4 consecutive birdies, instantly transferring him to 16 below simply two photographs off the lead. A faucet-in birdie after an extended eagle putt at 16 — his fifth birdie in a row — pushed him inside one of many lead.

McIlroy’s temporary cost would come undone when his method shot on the fifteenth gap hit the placing floor then spun again into the pond guarding the entrance of the inexperienced, leading to a devastating double bogey.

However neither McIlroy nor Rahm was receiving the most important roars from followers at Le Golf Nationwide. These have been reserved for France’s personal Victor Perez. Starting on the twelfth gap, Perez caught fireplace in entrance of the boisterous French crowds, going six below over his subsequent 5 holes to achieve 16 below and legitimately get into rivalry for a medal, possibly even the gold selection.

All through the day, Scheffler had quietly hung round ready for his second to strike, and when Rahm began to falter, strike he did.

Beginning with the par-5 14th, the reigning Masters champion reeled off three consecutive birdies of his personal to tie Rahm and Fleetwood for the lead at 18 below.

Scheffler’s case could be aided by the ultimate pairing’s play on the par-5 14th gap. Rahm hit a poor second shot that discovered the deep tough to the left of the inexperienced. Fleetwood skilled a brutal break when his second shot landed within the collar of a bunker, making a tough stance and speak to state of affairs.

Standing on the tee minutes earlier, each gamers had hoped to make birdie, and Fleetwood was a minimum of in a position to sink a 5-footer to save lots of par and stay tied with Scheffler at 18 below. Rahm, however, made a large number of issues, lacking a brief putt for six to file a double bogey, dropping him to 16 below.

On the tough seventeenth gap, Scheffler misplaced his tee shot into the deep tough left of the golf green, threatening his gold-medal cost. However with a mighty thwack the World No. 1 not solely reached the inexperienced in regulation however arrange a great have a look at birdie to take the lead. The uphill 17-footer was in all the means, and with a fist-pump Scheffler moved into sole possession of the lead at 19 below.

However Fleetwood wasn’t taking place and not using a struggle. The English professional caught his tee shot on the par-3 sixteenth, then sank the following 9-footer to hitch Scheffler on the high of the leaderboard with two holes to play.

Scheffler had only one gap left to shut out his comeback effort. His tee shot at 18 ended up in some thick tough beside a fairway bunker, however once more Scheffler put his unimaginable shotmaking expertise to make use of, reaching the inexperienced along with his second shot and organising one other birdie probability. This one, although, was a curving downhill putt. Scheffler ran his birdie strive a number of toes previous the outlet. However he made the comebacker to complete off his 62 and put up at 19 below.

“I used to be making an attempt to remain aggressive, and I used to be doing my greatest to remain affected person and look forward to my putter to get sizzling,” Scheffler informed Golf Channel Sunday night. “I hit some very nice photographs on the again 9 and hit some good putts. And actually I used to be simply making an attempt to do something I might do make some birdies, and I used to be lucky to have the ability to get it carried out.”

Fleetwood was the final participant with an opportunity to match or overtake Scheffler. He misplaced his tee shot at 17 into the tough, then watched as his method shot ran over the again of the inexperienced. A squirrely chip from there despatched his ball nicely previous the outlet. And the ensuing two-putt bogey all however ended his gold-medal hopes. However Fleetwood would drain a clutch par putt at 18 to provide England the silver medal.

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Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Editor

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes tales on GOLF.com, and manages the model’s e-newsletters, which attain greater than 1.4 million subscribers every month. A former two-time intern, he additionally helps preserve GOLF.com buzzing exterior the news-breaking tales and repair content material supplied by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech group within the growth of recent merchandise and progressive methods to ship an attractive web site to our viewers.