Scheffler Surges For Gold | The Sunday Swing

The Sunday Swing 
August 4th, 2024 

Welcome back to another edition of the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week, the world's eyes were on Paris, France as the Olympic Games kicked off with golf being a featured sport for just the third time. Meanwhile, back in the United States, the LPGA was on the west coast for the Portland Classic.

The Olympic Games & Golf 

Golf's history in the Olympics is quite interesting, and dates back much further than many know.  The sport was first played in the second modern Olympic Games in Paris in 1900, where it featured both men's and women's events. However, golf was then dropped from the Olympic program and was absent for over a century. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to reinstate golf as an Olympic sport, with the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics marking its return. The format for the Olympic golf competition is a 72-hole stroke play tournament for both men and women, similar to any normal professional event, but with no cut. The return of golf at the Olympics in 2016 was thrilling, as England’s Justin Rose was able to edge out Sweden’s Henrik Stenson for gold, with American Matt Kuchar earning the bronze medal. In 2021 at the Tokyo Games, American Xander Schauffele earned the gold medal while Slovokia’s Rory Sabbatini won silver. The bronze medal was won by C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who ended up emerging from a 7-way playoff that included Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, and Japan’s own Hideki Matsuyama. 

This year, Olympic golf returned to Paris and Le Golf National which was also the host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Of course, the field was loaded with the best players in the world. Representing Team USA was Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Wyndham Clark.

As the players began their gold medal bids on Thursday, it was clear that it was going to be a shootout amongst the game's best. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan set the pace at 8-under par after firing an opening 63, seeking redemption after falling just short of a medal in Tokyo. Two-time major champion and defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele continued his strong play, opening with rounds of 65 and 66. Scottie Scheffler also opened strong with rounds of 67 and 69. Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood was also having a strong showing and was in prime position to earn a medal after starting with 67 and 64. 

After the third round concluded, Jon Rahm and Schauffele shared the lead at 14-under. Tommy Fleetwood sat just one back, while Matsuyama and Nicolai Hojgaard were at 11-under. Hojgaard shot a course record-tying round of 62 to vault from the bottom half of the leaderboard all the way to the top five. 

On Sunday, as it has been so many times this year, it was Scottie Scheffler’s day. Scheffler entered the final round four shots behind the leaders and needed a special round just to have a chance at a medal. As it turns out, special would be an understatement for Scheffler’s round. 

After opening his round with three birdies in a row, Scheffler made par on the remaining six holes on the front nine to turn in -3. He added two more birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 to start the back nine, but was still a ways behind the leaders. Then, he caught fire, making birdie on holes 14-17 to grab a share of the lead. He completed a tough grind for par on the 18th for a final-round 62 that put him in the clubhouse at 19-under-par. 

Rahm had started hot and, for a moment, was -20 for the tournament with just eight holes to play. However, things changed quickly for the Spaniard, who went +5 the rest of the way and fall out of contention. Fleetwood was tied with Scheffler at 19-under-par, but a bogey at No. 17 dropped Fleetwood to one back entering the difficult 18th. When Fleetwood’s pitch attempt for birdie missed, Scheffler was the gold medalist in epic fashion. Fleetwood would settle for silver and Matsuyama claimed bronze at -17.

In the World of Women’s Golf

This week the LPGA Tour was in Portland, Oregon for the Portland Classic. With many of the big names already in Paris preparing for next week’s women’s Olympic Golf competition, the field wasn’t as stacked as we are used to seeing on the LPGA Tour. Jennifer Kupcho, Jenny Shin, Angel Yin, Grace Kim, and Alexa Pano were amongst the notables in the field this week. 

Grace Kim got off to a great start, shooting 66 and 65 in the opening rounds, but she wasn’t the only player to go low. Germany’s Polly Mack opened with 63 and 67, while Dutch player Dewi Weber shot 66 and 62. The course was playing easy for players of this caliber, and they were taking full advantage. 

Also of note, 19-year-old American Alexa Pano was one of the stories this week, after opening with 68 and 64, she built on her momentum in the third round and shot an impressive 66. Moriya Jutanugarn, the 30-year-old from Thailand, was also making a push towards the top of the leaderboard. Although she has just one top-10 this season, and two wins in her career, a 64 on Saturday vaulted Jutanugarn into contention. Helping her cause was the fact that she hadn’t made a single bogey on the week through three rounds. 

That trend continued all the way until the 72nd hole of the tournament, but at this point she was 7-under and had built a three shot lead. Even with the singular bogey at the last hole of the tournament, Jutanugarn was able to secure her third LPGA Tour title and her first in six years.