By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Scottie Scheffler delivered the best performance of his greatest year by rallying from four shots behind on Sunday with a 9-under 62 to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s golf in a thriller at Le Golf National.

Already a six-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, including his second Masters title, Scheffler added Olympic gold to an astonishing season with a round that kept some 30,000 fans on edge for a wild final two hours.

The world’s No. 1 player matched the course record at Le Golf National and he still needed plenty of help.

Jon Rahm of Spain had a four-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood of England when he stepped on the 11th tee. Fleetwood caught him in two holes as Rahm had a stunning collapse, starting with a three-putt bogey from 30 feet.

That opened the door for six players — including Victor Perez of France, who came within one shot of the podium and had the French crowd delirious as he played a five-hole stretch in 6 under to bolt into the mix.

But it was Scheffler who charged to the front with four straight birdies down the stretch, none bigger than gouging an 8-iron shot out of deep rough on the 17th hole and making the 18-foot birdie putt to take the lead for the first time all day.

He set an Olympic record for 72 holes at 19-under 265.

Fleetwood, who fell out of the lead with a bogey from the rough on the 17th, got up-and-down for par on the final hole for a 66 to win the silver medal. The bronze went to Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, in the mix on the back nine until closing with six straight pars for a 65.

Scheffler becomes the second straight American to win gold in men’s golf, following Xander Schauffele in the Tokyo Games.

Schauffele was tied for the 54-hole lead with Rahm until he had a collapse of his own, falling back with a bogey on the 12th from deep rough and another on the 13th when another shot out of the high grass went into the water. He shot 73 and tied for ninth.

“He’s been piling up trophies left and right and he keeps moving away from what is the pack of people chasing him in the world,” Schauffele said. “When I take my competitive hat off and put my USA patriot hat on, I’m very happy that we won another gold medal.”

Rory McIlroy of Ireland, who ended his 10th straight year without a major, entered the mix when he began the back nine with five straight birdies. He was one off the lead, in the middle of the 15th fairway with a wedge in his hand. That’s where it all went wrong.

He came up short and into the water, taking double bogey and ending his hopes. He had to settle for three pars and a 66 to tie for fifth with Rahm.

But it was the Spaniard who had gold for the taking and now he heads back to Saudi-funded LIV Golf with no medal at all. He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 11th. He missed the fairway on the 12th. And then he really came undone on the par-5 14th.

Rahm missed the fairway left and had to lay up. He hit 8-iron and missed the one place he couldn’t afford, to the left of the green in more rough. His pitch up the slope was short and rolled back down. He chipped that one about 4 feet by the hole and then missed the bogey putt.

Just like that, he was was two shots behind and never caught up. Rahm shot 31 on the front and 39 on the back, finishing with two bogeys.

“The second you miss a golf shot, this golf course is going to make you pay the price,” he said.

Scheffler was sheer brilliance with his best score of the year, a 62 that matched the best closing round of his career. He opened with three straight birdies to get his name on the board. He had a pair of 12-foot birdies early on the back nine.

And then Scheffler soared — a tough up-and-down for birdie on the 14th, a wedge to a foot for a tap-in birdie on the 15th, a tee shot to 8 feet on the par-3 16th to tie for the lead. And then a rare show of emotion when his 18-foot birdie putt fell on the 17th.

That proved to be the winner when Fleetwood, who birdied the 16th to tie for the lead, put his tee shot in the same thick rough Scheffler had found earlier. Fleetwood’s shot came out hot and over the green, and the best he could do was pitch 20 feet by the hole.

The consolation was the silver, the second men’s golf medal for Britain since golf returned to the Olympics in 2016. Justin Rose won the gold in Rio de Janeiro.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Source: wralsportsfan.com