PA Media/DPA
Paris
American Scottie Scheffler was crowned Olympic men’s golf champion at Paris 2024 as Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood won silver on Sunday.
Scheffler’s shot a 19 under par total after the world number one had tied the La Golf National course record of 62, with six birdies in his back nine 29.
Fleetwood fired a final-day 66 to fall one stroke short.
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, finished one shot behind Fleetwood to take bronze, with Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tied fifth.
McIlroy thrust himself into medal contention with five successive birdies in the back nine, but he finished two shots behind Matsuyama after finding water at 15 and taking a double bogey six.
Fleetwood admitted he never imagined winning an Olympic medal when he began playing golf.
"I didn’t win gold and part of me is disappointed,” said Fleetwood, who again showed his liking for Le Golf National after winning the French Open in 2017 and enjoying Ryder Cup heroics here a year later.
"But standing on that podium with a medal is one of the most amazing moments I’ve had as a golfer, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
"As a young boy taking up the game I never dreamed to be an Olympian and winning an Olympic medal is never on your agenda.
"That changes when you’re part of the Olympics and it feels unbelievably special, even if part of me is disappointed I haven’t won.
"I haven’t been in the mix that much recently and being back there, playing well and how it felt, the enjoyment of it, is what I will take from the week.”
Golf was reintroduced to the Olympic programme for Rio 2016 when Team GB’s Justin Rose won gold, and Fleetwood started the final round one behind playing partners Rahm and Xander Schauffele.
Five birdies on the front nine took him into second, and he was tied for the lead with Rahm after two more on the 11th and 12th.
With Scheffler charging on the back nine, Fleetwood rolled in an eight-foot putt on the 16th to go joint-top of the leaderboard again before one errant drive gave the American world number one the initiative.