Scottie Scheffler produced a stunning 9-under 62 at Le Golf National on Sunday, equaling the course record and edging out a star-studded leaderboard to win gold in the men's Olympic golf tournament.
On a thrilling final day on the outskirts of Paris, the American was flawless from start to finish, posting a 19-under 265 as he cruised to victory, highlighted by an impressive back-9 29 to underline his status as world No.1.
Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood failed to emulate Rio 2016 gold medalist Justin Rose as he shot a 66 to claim silver, one shot behind at 18-under. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama rounded out the podium finishers with bronze, finishing a shot back.
Frenchman Victor Perez delighted the home crowd with a superb final round of 63 to finish alone in fourth place at 16-under, while Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Spain's Jon Rahm shared fifth at 15-under.
Scheffler trailed fellow overnight leaders Xander Schauffele – who was targeting back-to-back golds – and Rahm by four shots but showed his pedigree to follow up the fast start with an electric finish that included a run of four straight birdies from Nos. 14-17.
It was Scheffler's seventh title in what has been an impressive year, which already includes his successful defense of THE PLAYERS Championship title and his second green jacket at the Masters Tournament in April.
Fleetwood shared the lead with Scheffler on 17thth tee, but a poor chip shot from behind the green led to a bogey and proved costly as he couldn't get a birdie at the end to force a playoff.
Matsuyama, who held a share of the team lead, fell short on Saturday with a level-par 71, but bounced back in style with a bogey-free 65 to claim a medal in his second Olympics.
Earlier in the day, Rahm appeared to be on course to win gold for Spain as he opened four shots behind the turn, but bogeys sent him back to 11.th and 12th interrupted his momentum. Double bogey-7 on 14th continued to damage his hopes before missing out on the podium altogether with back-to-back bogeys on his final two holes.
McIlroy finished alongside his Ryder Cup teammate after closing with a strong 66, with a double bogey on the 15th.th when he found water in his way he ended his chance for a medal.
For all scores from the men's Olympic golf event, visit www.igfgolf.org/olympic-games/2024/mens-scoring
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