Scottie Scheffler is the new Olympic champion. © APA/afp / EMMANUEL DUNAND

Scheffler wins gold thanks to furious final lap

The world number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler, is now also an Olympic champion. The 28-year-old American played an outstanding final round of 71 on the par-62 course at Le Golf National and secured the gold medal with a total score of 265 strokes.

August 04, 2024

From: apa/dpa/sda

The 28-year-old Scheffler was one of the first favorites to arrive at the clubhouse in the lead. Scheffler then retreated to the driving range and preferred not to watch the action on a screen. There he finally learned of his victory from his caddy. It was his seventh tournament victory this season - including the prestigious Masters in Augusta for the second time. Silver went to the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (266), and bronze went to the Japanese Hideki Matsuyama (267).

The tragic figure, however, was Spaniard Jon Rahm. He pulled away from the competition on Sunday afternoon and was four strokes ahead, even more than Scheffler. But this eventually turned into a four stroke deficit. Rahm made four bogeys on the last seven holes and even made a double bogey on the 14th hole.

Jon Rahm squandered a lead. © APA/afp / EMMANUEL DUNAND

The Olympics apparently do not bring Rahm any luck. In 2016, he was not selected by the Spanish for the Games in Rio, and five years later he missed the Tokyo Games because he was not allowed to enter Japan due to a positive Covid test.