Scottie Scheffler’s name will once again be added to the history books, now having claimed a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics to continue his incredible run at the top of the golfing world.
The win took an incredible comeback in the fourth and final round of Olympic play as Scheffler entered the day in sixth place and trailed Spain’s Jon Rahm by four strokes.
Scheffler proceeded to shoot nine-under-par in the fourth round for a final score of 62 on the day, giving him an overall score of 19-under-par, which helped him jump all the way to the top of the Olympic leaderboard.
As if his weekend couldn’t be more impressive, Scheffler also broke the record for the lowest-ever score in the Olympics, becoming the second straight American to win the gold medal after Xander Schauffele won in the 2020 Tokyo Games, per ESPN.
The silver medal in these Olympic games was presented to Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood for shooting 18-under-par, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finished with the bronze after shooting 17-under-par for the tournament.
Scheffler was noticeably emotional while standing on the podium after the completion of the match, breaking out into tears while listening to the “Star Spangled Banner” play in celebration of the American victory.
Shortly after winning the first Olympic medal of his career, Scheffler said the experience ranked “pretty high up there” compared to the other awards and tournaments he has won.
“Anytime you’re able to represent your country is pretty special. This was a fun week and it was great representing the USA, and I’m proud to be going home with a medal,” he said, per Golf.com.
The Olympic tournament took place in front of roughly 20,000 fans who traveled to Le Golf National, located roughly 20 miles from Paris, to watch some of the best golfers in the world compete on behalf of their countries, according to The Washington Post.
Le Golf National is widely regarded as one of the best golf courses in the world and has hosted other well-known tournaments, including the 2018 Ryder Cup.
“It’s honestly one of the best golf tournaments I’ve ever been involved in,” said Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, per The Washington Post. “This was golf’s coming out party in the Olympic Games.”
McIlroy’s comments were in reference to the Olympics recently choosing to reintroduce golf into the games following a 112-year hiatus from the competition, per NBC Olympics.
Golf was initially included in both the 1900 Paris Olympics and the 1904 St. Louis Olympics but was taken off of the list of games for more than a century until being added back in 2016.
After its massive success in recent weeks, golf seems likely to stay in the Olympics for the foreseeable future.
