Nelly Korda begins the defence of her girls’s Olympic title on Wednesday aiming to match the success of her world primary counterpart from the boys’s sport.
Within the wake of Scottie Scheffler’s sensational victory in Paris final Sunday, the ladies’s occasion happens with questions over golf’s Olympic credentials absolutely effectively and really banished from the sporting agenda.
Scheffler’s gold medal yielding, course file equalling, last spherical 62 pipped GB’s Tommy Fleetwood on an unimaginable last day at Le Golf Nationwide.
Because it unfolded, former European Tour participant, GB Olympic supervisor and seasoned golf commentator Jamie Spence texted: “Greatest golf of the 12 months.”
He was spot on. Certainly I am nonetheless attempting to recall a greater event. Nice crowds, a stellar leaderboard and true sporting legacy; it had all the things.
The format, 72-hole strokeplay, was completely vindicated with so many gamers harbouring medal hopes by way of audacious again 9 costs just like the one which left dwelling favorite Victor Perez only a shot shy of a medal.
And it was all of the extra fascinating for being purely about attempting to generate athletic glory for the golfers’ respective nations.
Normally, Scheffler doesn’t appear to do emotion. Profitable has turn into a customary a part of his working life – all a part of the deal in his glittering profession.
Most of his triumphs are met with a humble shrug and happy smile, not rather more. Terribly, this was his seventh win of a stellar 2024.
However this was the one which made tears stream for the 2 occasions Masters champion. “I take large pleasure in coming over right here and representing my nation,” the American stated.
“It was simply very emotional being up there on stage because the flag is being raised and singing the Nationwide Anthem. Sure, that is undoubtedly one I will bear in mind for a very long time.”
Whereas Scheffler shed tears of pleasure, Jon Rahm mirrored on sudden capitulation that noticed the Spaniard tumble out of the medal positions after holding a 4 shot lead with eight holes to play.
He was like a center distance runner with a transparent and commanding benefit with the bell sounding, solely to come across his laces. The opposition compiled extra composed last laps, particularly Scheffler who got here dwelling in simply 29 blows.
“To only not get it accomplished for the entire nation of Spain, it is much more painful than I would love it to be,” Rahm admitted. Par golf from the eleventh onwards would have yielded Spanish gold.
“I believe by dropping, I am getting a a lot deeper appreciation of what this event means to me than if I had gained any medal,” he added. “I’m getting a style of how a lot it actually mattered.
“I have been very honoured to signify Spain in lots of, many various occasions, and to not get this one accomplished stings fairly a bit.”
Rory McIlroy made a dart with 5 back-nine birdies in a row, solely to expire of fuel, discovering water on the fifteenth from the center of the golf green simply 130 yards out. Group Eire’s hopes drowned proper there.
Silver medallist Fleetwood had battled his swing all week, however all of a sudden was within the groove. It was solely momentarily on the house stretch that the Southport star stumbled.
He missed the golf green on 17 and failed to totally management the following two pictures on that penultimate gap. They value him a bogey and a share of the lead.
“It feels unbelievably particular,” Fleetwood acknowledged. “Standing on that podium with a medal in entrance of the group was one of the crucial wonderful moments I’ve had as a golfer.”
Mcllroy is medal-less from two appearances however this former Olympic golf sceptic has been greater than gained over at a time when a lot of the boys’s sport is beset by a dollar-laden civil struggle.
The Group Eire star now charges Olympic golf behind solely the Ryder Cup as the sport’s greatest event.
“With how a lot of the sport of golf is true now, you consider the 2 tournaments that may be the purest type of competitors in our sport, and we do not play for cash in them,” he stated.
“So it speaks volumes for what’s necessary in sports activities. I believe each single participant this week has had a tremendous expertise.”
