Editor’s note: “In case you missed it” is a periodic feature that highlights a reprised story from Monday’s Global Golf Post magazine.
Golf in the Olympics officially returned eight years ago but it finally arrived last week on the outskirts of Paris.
In the same way any movement needs a moment to define it, golf in the Olympics needed what came together at Le Golf National – the crowds, the passion and enough Sunday drama to fill a mini-series – to elevate the experience not just in the eyes of the players but in the minds of the world.
If golf’s Olympic return in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago was a curiosity and the Tokyo Games three years ago were flattened by a global pandemic, this felt big, meaningful and memorable.
It helped that Scottie Scheffler, the best player in the world, shot 62 on Sunday to win the gold medal, doing what legends do, finishing atop a leaderboard on which the players and their stories seemed almost handpicked to deliver drama.
The final nine holes on Sunday provided a scrapbook of images that will linger.
There was Scheffler, who does a good job of hiding his Texas toughness, fist-pumping the birdie putt that ultimately won him the gold medal on the 17th hole and, barely an hour later, with tears in his eyes as the national anthem was played for him.
There was Jon Rahm’s bewilderment at his own game that let him down when he was eight holes – and four strokes ahead – from a gold medal, leading him to feel he disappointed all of Spain when he walked off empty-handed.
Tom Kim broke down in tears after finishing. Rory McIlroy was left to make peace with another near miss, calling himself golf’s “Nearly Man.”
Victor Perez will hear the cheers of his fellow Frenchmen forever as he balances the brilliance of his final nine holes with falling one stroke shy of a potential medal.
Hideki Matsuyama got the medal he failed to get in Japan three years ago.
Xander Schauffele finally ran out of gas.
And Tommy Fleetwood won a silver medal that won’t change the horror that took place in his hometown of Southport, England, last week but will gleam as a reminder of the week that was in France.
“I still think that the Ryder Cup is the best tournament that we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it.” – Rory McIlroy
No player won a dime but, in a refreshing change, it was never about money.
“I still think that the Ryder Cup is the best tournament that we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it,” said McIlroy, whose medal hopes drowned with a watery approach shot on the 15th hole.
“I think with how much of a sh-t show the game of golf is right now and you think about the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport, we don’t play for money in it. So it speaks volumes for what’s important in sports and what’s important, I think, every single player this week has had an amazing experience.”
Rahm felt it as well.
“I’ve gotten the question, where this tournament would rank in my opinion or what I would think it would feel like to win, and I think by losing today, I’m getting a much deeper appreciation of what this tournament means to me than if I had won any medal, right,” Rahm said. “I’m getting a taste of how much it really mattered.”
Meaning can’t be manufactured and, taking nothing away from the medal winners in the two previous Olympics, this one delivered the organic feeling that separate special events.
It’s easy to be cynical about the Olympics, which long ago abandoned the notion of amateurism and have become bloated by too many events. The Olympics should belong to athletes – swimmers, divers, runners, gymnasts – who get their moment once every four years.
Golf didn’t need the Olympics but now that it’s part of the Games, it is finding its place. Major championships remain the height of achievement in golf and playing for a gold medal every four years doesn’t change that.
What is changing is how players are embracing the Olympics.
“I’m proud to be American. I got emotional the other night watching the gold medal ceremony for the women’s gymnastics. I take tremendous pride in coming over here and representing my country,” Scheffler said.
“It was just very emotional being up there on stage there as the flag is being raised and sitting there singing the national anthem. Yes, that’s definitely one I’ll remember for a long time.”
Prior to the Olympics, Scheffler told a story on himself, admitting that he took his green jacket from the Masters, the tartan jacket from the RBC Heritage and two trophies including the Players Championship into the living room where his wife Meredith was sitting and casually said ‘Sup, Mer?’”
“It’s been a long week. It’s been a challenging week. I played some great golf today, and I’m proud to be going home with a medal.” – Scottie Scheffler
Now Scheffler has a gold medal should he want to play dress up again.
With six victories, including the Masters and the Players Championship, Scheffler had already put together a season that exceeds most careers. He lurked in the background for three days at the Olympics then played one of the best rounds of his life with the gold medal on the line.
When Schauffele was asked if Scheffler’s Olympic victory feels like the cherry on top of an already massive season, Schauffele said, “Cherry on top would not do it the justice … Scottie is going to have about 14 cherries on top of his cake.”
After winning the Masters in April, Scheffler said he found a moment to slip into a bathroom and he cried. This time, Scheffler shared the emotions of the moment with the world.
“It’s been a long week. It’s been a challenging week. I played some great golf today, and I’m proud to be going home with a medal,” Scheffler said.
“There were a lot of talented guys in the field this week. These guys played tremendous golf and I think we should all be proud of the golf that we played this week.”