Scheffler wins Olympic golf gold over Fleetwood, Matsuyama
Scottie Scheffler won Olympic gold as he tied the course record at Le Golf National with a 9-under 62 on Sunday, finishing 19-under for the tournament.
Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood took the silver medal, one stroke behind Scheffler, and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama claimed the bronze. Matsuyama lost the bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a seven-man playoff.
Scheffler's 29 on the back nine is his first of the season. The World No. 1 adds Olympic gold to a remarkable season featuring six wins on the PGA TOUR, including a victory at the Masters.
Here's the top 10:
| Place | Player | Total to par | Round 4 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฅ | ๐บ๐ธ Scottie Scheffler | -19 | 62 |
| ๐ฅ | ๐ฌ๐ง Tommy Fleetwood | -18 | 66 |
| ๐ฅ | ๐ฏ๐ต Hideki Matsuyama | -17 | 65 |
| 4 | ๐ซ๐ท Victor Perez | -16 | 63 |
| T-5 | ๐ฎ๐ช Rory McIlroy | -15 | 66 |
| T-5 | ๐ช๐ธ Jon Rahm | -15 | 70 |
| 7 | ๐ฉ๐ฐ Nicolai Hojgaard | -14 | 68 |
| 8 | ๐ฐ๐ท Tom Kim | -13 | 68 |
| T-9 | ๐จ๐ฆ Corey Conners | -12 | 66 |
| T-9 | ๐ฆ๐บ Jason Day | -12 | 68 |
| T-9 | ๐จ๐ฑ Joaquin Niemann | -12 | 68 |
| T-9 | ๐ง๐ช Thomas Detry | -12 | 69 |
| T-9 | ๐บ๐ธ Xander Schauffele | -12 | 73 |
Jon Rahm, a co-leader entering the day, led by four strokes through the 10th hole. With back-to-back bogeys on the next two holes and Fleetwood countering with birdies, Rahm's advantage evaporated.
The Spaniard then double-bogeyed the par-5 14th to fall out of a medal position.
As Rahm was faltering, Scheffler was climbing the leaderboard. Scheffler made three straight birdies from 14-16 to join Fleetwood in the lead. Scheffler took the outright lead on 17 and re-took it after Fleetwood bogeyed the par-4 17th.
Rahm finished the final round with four bogeys and a double-bogey on the back nine.
Xander Schauffele, the defending Olympic champion, fell to T-9 after co-leading with Rahm entering Sunday's round.
Victor Perez gave the home fans a show. He carded under par on holes No. 12-16, including an eagle on the par-5 14th, to rocket up the leaderboard. He finished the final round with an 8-under 63, one stroke off the course record.
Rory McIlroy surged into a medal position with five straight birdies to start the back nine. His charge ended abruptly when he found the water on 15 and carded a double-bogey.
Tom Kim birdied four of the first eight holes in Round 4 but couldn't make up more ground on the back nine. His round closed with a double-bogey, his first of the competition. A medal would've earned him an exemption from South Korea's mandatory military service.
The 22-year-old can still earn an exemption with a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games or a podium finish at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Corey Conners fired a 5-under 66 for his best round of the tournament. His T-9 finish is the best for a Canadian in men's golf since the sport returned to the Olympics in 2016.