After a rousing finish to close out the men’s Olympic golf competition, both silver medalist Tommy Fleetwood and bronze medalist Hideki Matsuyama would offer a different assessment.
Fleetwood fell short of Scottie Scheffler’s Sunday charge, bogeying the 71st hole to drop out of a tie for the gold medal, but he drained a six-footer for a closing par to secure the silver. Matsuyama, after a mediocre 71 on Saturday left him on the outside staring in at medal contention, rallied with a final-round 65 to finish a stroke ahead of French hero Victor Perez to win the bronze medal.
Fleetwood, who’s won 10 times in his professional career, made the point that an Olympic medal wasn’t something he ever had a reason to think of because it wasn’t part of golf. Now, it resides in a fundamentally special place.
“Just as a young boy that was taking up the game of golf, none of us here had the chance to dream of being an Olympian or winning an Olympic medal,” he said. “So it was never on our agenda until golf finally got in.
“That quickly changes when you’re part of the Olympics. It feels unbelievably special. I know I didn’t win gold today, and a very good golfer did. Standing on that podium with a medal in front of the crowd was one of the most amazing moments I’ve had as a golfer, so I’ll remember all those times for the rest of my life.”
