What Were the Golfing Highlights of the 2021 Olympics?
There was surprise among some onlookers when golf was announced as one of the sports at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. However, despite the fact many professional players have been handed the opportunity to win a gold medal, much like tennis and football, it was not the first time golf was played at the Olympic Games.
You must go back to 1900, the second Olympic Games to find the first time golf was introduced and it was also part of the third Olympic Games, four years later. Fast forward to 2021 and golf featured once again and the men’s tournament at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama featured some of the biggest names in the sport.
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Cameron Smith, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Alex Noren, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed were among the names hoping to light up the tournament. Just to see some of these players in action, at the Olympic Games, was a highlight in itself. There is not the usual prize money on offer as seen on the PGA and European Tour events, the Olympic Games is all about winning the gold medal.
The main highlight of the men’s Olympic Games golf tournament had to be the final round. There were no fewer than nine players in contention for a medal as the final group approached the 18th green in the last round of the competition. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan was one of the players in contention for a medal but unfortunately for the Masters champion, the gold on his home soil was out of reach. The drama was incredible and the Japanese finished without a medal to show for his efforts. Still, Matsuyama can be extremely proud of his efforts in what must have been a highly pressurised situation, even without a crowd.
Matsuyama participated in a fantastic seven man playoff for the bronze medal, which was a special moment of the tournament. Rory McIlroy and Open Championship winner Collin Morikawa were also involved in the bronze medal playoff but it was C.T. Pan of Taiwan who came out on top, winning the bronze over four holes.
Xander Schauffele was the man who won the gold medal and it was a tremendous moment for the American, whose mother was raised in Japan. He also has grandparents who live in Tokyo so to see him wearing the gold was a great personal moment for Schauffele. On the final hole, Schauffele needed par to take the gold but found the rough behind some trees from the green, forcing him to play a lay up shot. The approach to the green landed 15 feet beyond the pin but the spin on the ball brought it back to within 4 feet, allowing Schauffele to sink the putt.
Schauffele’s father, Stefan, dreamed of being an Olympic athlete himself until an accident prevented him from doing so. To witness his son, win the gold must have been fantastic.
