SAINT-CANTIN-EN-YVELIN, France: Golf finally has a big shot at the Olympics, and celebrities are competing in the men's final, with a medal at stake.
Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm tied for the lead on Saturday, one point ahead of Tommy Fleetwood. Hideki Matsuyama salvaged a chaotic day, while Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy chased each other to secure gold.
Seven of the 10 teams that made it to the finals in Paris are just five points clear of the leader.
“I’m really excited to get going,” Fleetwood said. “The scoreboard is fantastic. It’s like the scoreboard you’d expect from the Olympics, and it’s probably what the sport deserves.”
Schoffel felt like he was running in place and losing ground until he went from two shots behind to a one-shot lead in a matter of minutes. He hit a 4-iron to 25 feet for eagle on the par-5 14th before Rahm three-putted to make bogey on the hole in front of him.
Rahm responded with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th green. The momentum shift was significant, and the possibility of playing Sunday was strong.
Rahm, who played on the big stage for the last time this year before returning to LIV Golf, finished with a 5-under 66, while Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and British Open this year, got off to a rough start before shooting a 32 on the back hole for a 68.
They finished 14-under 199, tying the 54-hole Olympic record set by Schauffele when he won gold at the Tokyo Games.
“I got off to a very slow start here,” Schoeffel said. “I missed the first hurdle and had to try to stabilize the boat coming in.”
He paused with a smirk before adding, “Is that a little Olympic reference?”
Schauffele is chasing another gold medal, capping off a remarkable month with two major titles.
Crowds are just as noisy and chaotic in slightly better weather conditions. Fans have only been allowed to watch Olympic golf twice since its return: in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in Paris, which has historically hosted the French Open since 1906.
“Even though this is new to golf, this is the Olympics,” Rahm said. “I think the crowd knows what this is, and we all know what’s at stake.”
Rahm also realizes that this is not a two-man race.
Fleetwood, who began the third round tied with Schaeffele and Matsuyama for the lead, made only three birdies but made a 6-foot par on the equally significant 18th hole. He scored a 69, one stroke behind.
Matsuyama recovered from a rough start with a 71 and was three shots behind Denmark's Nikolai Hojgaard, who stormed into the tournament with a 62, matching the 18-hole record at Le Golf National, which was matched by his twin brother Erasmus at the French Open. Identical twins also tied.
That caught Schauffele's attention as he awaited the medal round.
“62 is a big score on the scoreboard,” Schoeffl said. “I don’t really see it. Just trying to stay level. You have to be in a position to win on the back nine and try to use your experience.”
Scheffler and McIlroy are in medal contention, or possibly gold. Scheffler, the world's No. 1 and the most dominant golfer of the past two years, stormed into the tournament with three birdies on the last six holes.
He missed a chip on the 17th and made bogey, and he was about to lose another when his drive into a deep bunker on the right side of the fairway at the 18th forced him to settle before it hit the water, but he hit a wedge to make it to par for a 67.
He was four behind: Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (66), South Korea's Tom Kim (69) and Belgium's Thomas DeTrie (69).
“I feel like I haven’t been at my best the last few days, but I’ve done enough to stay strong and stay in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “You can get hot this time around. You saw that Nikolai did really well today, and I’ll have to do better tomorrow if I’m going to get a medal.”
McIlroy lost in a seven-man playoff to claim the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and later famously said, “He's never tried so hard to finish third.” Despite not playing a major in 10 years, he has a chance to medal, and the color depends on him and the five players in front of him.
“I’m just going to try to do my best this week to have a chance at a medal, that’s the goal,” McIlroy said.
A sport that was slower than a marathon is now a sprint. Schauffele understands that feeling.
