After the first three days of play, Scheffler was tied for 6th place with a score of -10. The American golfer seemed out of contention in the championship race, which was expected to be between Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele (both at -14), and Tommy Fleetwood (-13).
Scheffler himself acknowledged the tough situation. He mentioned the incredible performance of Danish golfer Nicolai Hojgaard, who finished the third day with just 62 strokes, and said, "I need a similar performance if I want to win a medal."
Amazingly, Scheffler did just that. He started strong, scoring birdies on the first three holes, followed by six birdies on the last nine holes, finishing the final round with 62 strokes, tying the Le Golf National course record. With a total score of -19 after four days, Scheffler took the lead and anxiously waited to see if Tommy Fleetwood, who finished later, could make a special play.
Scheffler celebrated after completing the final round with 62 strokes.
The impressive setting at Le Golf National, with a large crowd of fans watching Fleetwood tee off.
With a score of -18, Fleetwood could have forced a playoff with Scheffler by scoring a birdie on the 18th hole. However, the English golfer couldn't land the ball on the green as planned and failed with a chip shot to secure a birdie. Fleetwood could only blame himself for a bogey on the penultimate hole, ultimately settling for the Silver Medal, while Scheffler took Gold.
Scheffler, the world's number one golfer and two-time Masters champion (2022, 2024), became the third American male golfer to win an Olympic Gold Medal, following Charles Sands in 1900 and Schauffele in 2020. Schauffele had a great chance to defend his title but performed poorly on the final day, needing 73 strokes to finish, dropping to a tie for 9th place with -12.
Alongside Scheffler's Gold, Fleetwood won Silver, and Matsuyama took the Bronze Medal.
Rahm had a bad day, missing out on the Gold Medal. He still led by four strokes with just seven holes left but collapsed with bogeys on holes 11, 12, and 17, and a double bogey on hole 14. The Spanish golfer didn't even secure the Bronze Medal, finishing tied for 5th with Rory McIlroy at -15.
Third place went to Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, the 2021 Masters champion. French golfer Victor Perez had an excellent day with 63 strokes but finished 4th (-16).
Thus, the United States remains the most successful country in Olympic golf history with six Gold Medals (four for men and two for women). They have a chance to increase this tally as the women's Olympic golf event starts today (August 5). The two biggest hopes for the Stars and Stripes are Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu, the top two female golfers in the world rankings.