Tommy Fleetwood collects ultimate hardware, settles for silver medal at 2024 Olympics
04/08/2024 18:13
Fleetwood is a 2024 Olympic medalist as the Englishman won silver in Paris and finally got the reward in a massive tournament.
Tommy Fleetwood can officially call himself an Olympic medalist. The Englishman won silver in the men's golf competition at Le Golf National on Sunday in the 2024 Olympics.
Fleetwood became the second member of Team Great Britain to earn hardware after Justin Rose won gold in the 2016 Rio Games.
He held the lead on and off most of the final day, but Scottie Scheffler came home in 29 strokes to shoot a 9-under 62. The No. 1 player in the world birdied holes 14-17 to win by one. Fleetwood signed for a 5-under 66.
Scheffler and Fleetwood were both at 19-under with two holes to go. However, a mistake off the tee on 17 forced Fleetwood to trail by one. He needed a birdie on 18 to push for a playoff, but his third shot was unsuccessful. Fleetwood still sank his five-footer for par to secure silver.
On Sunday, the two-time Ryder Cup member played in the final group alongside Xander Schauffele and John Rahm. Nerves were high as Fleetwood made a bogey on the first hole before he settled in and made three straight birdies.
He dropped back to 1-under on the day at the par-4 7th when he made a bogey.
However, Fleetwood bounced back with a 30-footer on eight and an 11-footer on 9 for back-to-back birdies. He turned in 33 strokes, and it was evident Fleetwood refused to give up.
Rahm led by four at the turn but quickly derailed on the back nine. Schauffele also collapsed on Sunday.
For the eight-time DP World Tour winner, he continued to make incredible shots and made three more birdies to sit tied for the lead with two holes left.
The Southport, England native made a huge mistake off the tee on 17 as he drove it left into the thick rough. His second shot went long, and he had a difficult chip shot to make, leading to his third and final bogey.
There have been multiple times throughout Fleetwood's career that saw him come up short on Sunday. Whether it was a major championship or a big PGA Tour event, he just has not gotten over the hump in the United States.
While he still received a nice check in many of those events, Fleetwood did not go home with any hardware. This time, though, he collected one of three prizes a competitor could win.
Scheffler may have stormed past him to take the gold, but Fleetwood still earned one of the three ultimate prizes— an Olympic medal. He will remember this moment forever, and it very well could help him stay confident through 72 holes in the future.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
