World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has been on an impressive winning streak, securing six victories including a second Masters title. Recently, however, he was in the shadow of Xander Schauffele, who claimed two major championships, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. Despite being overshadowed, Scheffler entered the Paris Games as the favorite for the gold medal, reflecting his status as a top competitor.
Scheffler struggled with his putting at the beginning of the competition but adjusted by allowing his caddie, Ted Scott, to assist with putt reading during the second round. Throughout the tournament, Scheffler kept the leaders within reach, initially trailing by four strokes and later five. However, on Sunday, Jon Rahm surged ahead, making six birdies in the first ten holes and building a four-stroke lead over his competitors and five shots ahead of Scheffler.
But Rahm’s strong performance took a sudden downturn. After securing a recent victory on the LIV Golf circuit and finishing tied for seventh at Royal Troon, his momentum faltered dramatically. He three-putted on the par-3 11th hole and then struggled on the par-4 12th, missing a par save from ten feet. At the par-5 14th, after a manageable lie, he was unable to save par from four feet, resulting in a string of four consecutive holes where he scored four over par, dropping him to just one shot away from a podium finish.
Following the round, Rahm expressed his disappointment, stating, “I’ve been saying all week that I would know how much this means when the tournament was over. Sometimes you know when you win, but you definitely know when you don’t win it, and this just stings on a different emotional level. It hurts right now more than I expected. It’s hard to let my country down in that way; had it under control and just let it go.”