This year’s Summer Olympics included plenty of amazing moments and examples of peak athleticism. There were finishes that came down to a split second or hundredth of a point, and plenty of applause and great cheers for the top performers in everything from gymnastics to water polo.
For all of us golf fans, we were just happy to be there!
If you follow the sometimes-convoluted history of golf at the Olympics, you might be surprised that this classic and noble sport has only been part of the games a handful of times in 100-plus years.
Due to various reasons, including personalities and fights over golf tournament rules vs. Olympic rules, golf was part of the Games in 1900 and 1904, but didn’t return until 2016. (Learn more about its history and the format of Olympic golf here.)
But when it came back, it came back with a vengeance. Every four years, 60 of the top men and women golfers from around the world compete in a 72-round four-day tournament to see who has the lowest score and goes home with the gold.
Even with only a few years of competition, there have been some memorable moments, like the United Kingdom’s Justin Rose’s hole-in-one in 2016, which still ranks as the only ace in Olympic history.
Golfers still talk about the final hole in 2020 when the Xander Schauffele from the U.S. nearly came close to losing his slim lead. But he ended up taking home gold, a feat he partially credits to switching balls, from his usual Callaway Chrome Soft X to the newer Callaway Soft X LS that gave him the extra push he needed.
Summer in Paris
This year’s Olympics also had plenty of golf action for everyone to enjoy, with 120 players taking part, including four men and three women from the U.S.
The men’s medal stand featured American Scottie Scheffler taking home the gold. This was the 27-year-old’s first Olympic visit also he has been distinguishing himself in other PGA outings, including winning the Master’s earlier this year.
His final score was 19-under, coming in just below Tommy Fleetwood from the United Kingdom with 18-under, and Hideki Matsuyama from Japan, who achieved 17-under for his total.
These three golfers dominated each day’s tournament in different positions, with Scheffler posting 6-under on Day 1, 11-under on Day 2, 14-under on Day 3 and 19-under on Day 4. He made a total of nine birdies, including four straight birdies between holes 14 and 17, pretty much securing him the top spot.
It was an impressive feat for Scheffler, who has taken home top honors at 10 PGA events.
Not everyone knows that Scheffler likes to give credit to his choice of balls, preferring Titleist’s Pro VI for much of his playing career.
Women’s finals
Although Team USA didn’t make it to the medal stand in women’s golf, there was still plenty to cheer for.
Lydia Ko from New Zealand received the gold for a score of 10-under, followed by Germany’s Esther Henseleit with 8-under and China’s Xiyu Lin with 7-under. Rose Zhang from the U.S. earned the eighth spot with 5-under.
What’s particularly impressive about this year’s competition is Ko’s contribution to golf. She now has the distinction of winning every “color” of medal in Olympic golf, a distinction no other golfer has.
She received a silver medal in the Rio games in 2016 and a bronze medal in 2021 in Tokyo.
These honors have also given her enough career points to secure a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame, which isn’t bad for a 27-year-old.
Although to be fair, she started playing – and winning — early, including emerging victorious from her first LPGA tourney as a 15-year-old amateur, and her first major win as a pro at age 18.
In past interviews, she’s discussed that she’s an enthusiast of the Titleist Pro V1X.
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