Gold Rush! Stars line up for medal sprint
Schauffele, Rahm lead stacked Olympics leaderboard; Kim has most to play for
Xander Schauffele topped co-leaders Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood on Saturday (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, FRANCE (IGF/DD) — Xander Schauffele shares the 54-hole lead at 14-under par with Spain’s Jon Rahm in the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition as the red-hot American looks to win back-to-back gold medals.
Schauffele arrived at his second appearance at the Games on the back of winning the Open Championship two weeks ago and has continued his excellent form at Le Golf National. But the leaders on Sunday will have to deal with a stacked leaderboard that includes eight of the top-20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking at T10 or better within five shots of the lead including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 3 Rory McIlroy lurking T6 at 10-under.
“It’s amazing for the game to see all those sort the players up there,” said Rory McIlroy, who is one of those “sort of players” looming after a third-round 66. “Obviously, Xander who has had an incredible year; Scottie, best player in the world; you’ve got Jon Rahm; some younger players, Nicolai (Højgaard) shooting 62 today. Yeah, it’s an amazing leaderboard and should be an exciting day tomorrow.”
Owning a share of a three-way lead at the halfway mark on 11-under, Schauffele shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 14th to outperform playing partners Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama.
At 14-under overall with Rahm, Schauffele is in perfect position to shoot for consecutive golds and three strokes clear of fourth as a loaded leaderboard vies for a podium finish on Sunday.
Xander Schauffele has grown comfortable on big stages (Chris Condon/PGA Tour/IGF)
“Everyone is shooting for the top position,” said Schauffele, the gold medalist three years ago in Tokyo Olympics. “Unlike every tournament we play, there is a reward for the top three, which money aside, I would say, normal events, even when you finish second or third, you don’t feel great about it. But if you’re able to podium, it’s always special.”
Rahm, playing in the group ahead of the lead trio, produced his second consecutive round of 66 that included a seventh birdie of the day at the 17th to also reach 14-under. Fresh off his first win of 2024 last week at the LIV Golf UK event, the Spaniard joins Schauffele as the only players in the field on a winning streak.
“I’ve been playing good all year, but I haven’t been able to give myself the best chances,” said Rahm. “For this last month, to be playing as good as I have, and slowly get better; the win last week, and give myself an opportunity this week, as well, is very, very gratifying. It’s nice to see things going so well for the last month, and after having won to be in this position again so quickly.”
Jon Rahm is laser-focused on his mission to win gold (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
Fleetwood of Great Britain will join the major-winning duo in the final group on Sunday after he mixed three birdies with two bogeys in a 69 Saturday to sit one stroke behind the leaders.
“You look at the leaderboard, the leaderboard is amazing,” Fleetwood said. “It’s like a leaderboard that you would expect at the Olympics and probably what the sport deserves, if you like. Happy to be a part of it and sort of, you know, been doing very well so far. So we’ll see. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow.”
Nicolai Højgaard enjoyed the round of the week so far as he matched the course record of 62 on Saturday with a bogey-free round that featured an eagle and seven birdies. He had a good look at 61 on the 18th green but his birdie chance from 10 feet slid by the cup.
That moved the Dane into a share of fourth on the leaderboard alongside Japan’s Matsuyama, who lost ground in his pursuit of an Olympic medal with a level-par 71.
Scheffler and McIlroy are both poised to make Sunday charges as they played their way into contention with contrasting rounds. While Scheffler mixed six birdies and two bogeys in a round that fluctuated, McIlroy enjoyed his first flawless card of the week as he made five birdies for a 66.
“Well, I’d like to be leading,” said Scheffler, who seeks to become the first No. 1-ranked player to medal in the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition. “I feel like I haven’t had my best stuff the last few days but I’ve done enough to hang in there and stay in the tournament. Around this course, you can get hot. You saw Nicolai had a really nice round today, and I’m going to need something like that tomorrow if I’m going to be holding a medal.”
With no money at stake in the final round and only a top-three position and medal to play for, players are expected to play some aggressive golf in the final round.
“Depending on what the leaders do, I’m going to have to probably shoot my lowest round of the week to have a chance at a medal. That’s the goal,” said McIlroy.
Thomas Detry of Belgium and Korea’s Tom Kim also sit at 10-under after they carded a pair of 69s. Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, Australia’s Jason Day and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann round out the top 10 a shot further back at 9-under.
Matsuyama (T4 at 11-under) leads the field in birdies with 18 and has a chance to join Taiwan’s C.T. Pan as the only athletes from Asia to medal in the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition. Pan, who won bronze in a seven-man playoff in Tokyo, is T17 at 7-under with a lot of ground to make up to medal for a second time.
Tom Kim sits T6 with more to play for than most on Sunday (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
Tom Kim eyes military release medal
Nobody has more at stake on Sunday than Tom Kim. Winning any color of Olympic medal would exempt the 22-year-old phenom from eventually being conscripted into military service in his native South Korea, where every healthy adult male under 35 must serve a compulsory 21-month military stint under the Military Manpower Administration.
Kim has tried to deflect questions about it all week, preferring to “just trying to put my head down and play.” But there’s no denying that winning a medal on Sunday would be “kind of a big deal.”
“A hundred percent,” Kim admitted. “Like I’m not trying to lie or anything like that. I really don’t know [all the particulars of the military service rules]. I’ve been over in the U.S. for so long, I just keep on going. … Again, I don’t know. I’m not a politician. I’m so sorry.
But it affects your life?
“Well, I understand that but in I’m 22 and I still have a lot of years left.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick’s strained right thumb scuttled his chances (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
Thumbs down: Fitzpatrick WDs
A day after shooting a 64 to climb into the fringe of medal consideration on the week, England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick struggled to an 81 Saturday and withdrew citing a pre-existing right thumb strain that he brought with him into the Men's Olympic Golf Competition.
Fitzpatrick, who ranks 38th in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings, is not in the field at next week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. The PGA Tour’s three-week playoff series begins in two weeks at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn.