Golf lastly has some Olympic buzz from an enormous and boisterous gallery, and it has the star energy to match going into the ultimate spherical of the lads’s competitors with medals lastly at stake.
Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm have been tied for the lead Saturday, one shot away from Tommy Fleetwood. Hideki Matsuyama salvaged a wild day. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have been shut sufficient that gold is just not out of attain.
Seven of the main 10 qualifiers for the Paris Video games have been inside 5 pictures of the lead.
“I’m very, very excited to play,” Fleetwood stated. “The leaderboard is superb. It’s like a leaderboard that you’d count on on the Olympics and doubtless what the game deserves.”
Schauffele felt as if he was operating in place and dropping floor till he turned a two-shot deficit right into a one-shot lead in a matter of minutes. He hit 4-iron to 25 toes for eagle on the par-5 14th, simply earlier than Rahm three-putted for bogey on the opening forward of him.
Rahm answered with a 35-foot birdie putt throughout the seventeenth inexperienced. The swings in momentum have been a lot, and so have been the probabilities going into Sunday.
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Rahm, taking part in on an enormous stage for the final time this 12 months earlier than he returns to LIV Golf, completed with a 5-under 66. Schauffele, who received the PGA Championship and British Open this 12 months, acquired off to a sluggish begin earlier than posting a 32 on the again 9 for a 68.
They have been at 14-under 199, tying the 54-hole Olympic file Schauffele set when he received gold on the Tokyo Video games.
“I’m sluggish out of the gates right here,” Schauffele stated. “Fumbled my first hurdle and needed to attempt to regular the ship coming in.”
He paused with a smirk earlier than including, “Just like the little Olympics reference there?”
Schauffele goes after one other gold that will cap a most superb month of two majors.
The gang was simply as loud and simply as noisy in barely extra nice climate. Followers have been allowed to see Olympic golf solely twice since its return to this system — Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Paris, which has a historical past of internet hosting golf. The French Open dates to 1906.
“It might need been new in golf however it’s the Olympics,” Rahm stated. “I feel the group is aware of it’s, and we’re all conscious of what’s at stake.”
Rahm is also properly conscious this isn’t a two-man race.
Fleetwood, who began the third spherical tied on the high with Schauffele and Matsuyama, made solely three birdies however holed a 6-foot par on the 18th that was equally significant. He had a 69 and was one shot behind.
Matsuyama recovered from a foul begin for a 71 and was three behind together with Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark, who roared into competition with a 62. That tied the 18-hole file at Le Golf Nationwide additionally matched by his twin brother, Rasmus, within the French Open. Equivalent twins, an identical rating.
That acquired Schauffele’s consideration as he regarded forward to the medal spherical.
“Sixty-two, that was one thing up there on the leaderboard,” Schauffele stated. “Didn’t actually see that. Simply going to attempt to hold contact. You must be in place to win on that again 9 and attempt to fall on some earlier expertise and get it accomplished.”
Scheffler and McIlroy are in medal place, perhaps even gold. Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 participant and most dominant golfer over the past two years, surged into competition with three birdies in a six-hole stretch on the again 9.
He fell again with a chip that didn’t attain the inexperienced on the seventeenth and led to bogey. And he was poised to lose one other shot when a drive right into a deep bunker proper of the 18th fairway pressured him to put up in need of the water. However he hit wedge to tap-in vary to avoid wasting par for a 67.
He was 4 behind with Irish golfer Rory McIlroy (66), Tom Kim of South Korea (69) and Thomas Detry of Belgium (69).
“I really feel like I haven’t had my greatest stuff the previous few days, however I’ve accomplished sufficient to hold in there and keep within the match,” Scheffler stated. “Round this course, you will get sizzling. You noticed Nicolai had a very nice spherical at present, and I’m going to wish one thing like that tomorrow if I’m going to be holding a medal.”
McIlroy misplaced in a seven-man playoff for the bronze within the Tokyo Video games and famously stated later that he “by no means tried so exhausting to complete third.” With no main for 10 years, he’s in place for a medal, and the colour depends upon him and the 5 gamers in entrance of him.
“I’m going to need to most likely shoot my lowest spherical of the week to have an opportunity at a medal. That’s the purpose,” McIlroy stated.
The game that strikes slower than a marathon now turns right into a dash. Schauffele can respect that.