World No. 1 Scheffler pulls off Olympic golf thriller

MANILA, Philippines – In a leaderboard stacked with world-class talent, Scottie Scheffler proved his mettle, delivering a stellar, course-record-equaling nine-under 62 to clinch the gold medal at the Olympic men's golf competition.

The World No. 1 showcased his dominance in a thrilling Sunday finale at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, overcoming the course's notorious roughs, water hazards and tricky greens.

Starting the day four strokes behind third-round leaders Jon Rahm and defending champion Xander Schauffele, Scheffler birdied the first three holes to spark his comeback. Despite a series of pars that slowed his momentum, he maintained his focus as Rahm rekindled his own form, racking up birdies to briefly take the lead.

The climax of the competition saw Scheffler reignite his charge on the outskirts of Paris.

After five pars to close out the front nine, he birdied the 10th, gained another stroke on the 12th, and rattled off four consecutive birdies from the 14th.

Rahm's challenge faded with flawed tee shots and misjudgments from the rough, while Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama emerged as potential threats.

However, both faltered in the final stretch, leaving Scheffler alone at the top after a dramatic backside battle of wits and nerves.

Scheffler finished with a flawless round, saving par on the 72nd hole to complete a 19-under 265, highlighted by an impressive back-nine 29, solidifying his status as the world's best golfer.

Fleetwood secured silver with a final-round 66, finishing one shot behind at 266, while Matsuyama claimed bronze with a 267 after a bogey-free 65.

Frenchman Victor Perez delighted the home crowd with a brilliant final-round 63, featuring a six-under stretch over five holes from No. 12, including an eagle on No. 14. He finished in solo fourth place at 268, with Rory McIlroy of Ireland and Rahm sharing fifth at 269 after 66 and 70, respectively.

Schauffele, after three strong rounds, appeared poised for a successful title defense, but a series of errors, including two bogeys and a double bogey, resulted in a final-round 73, dropping him to joint ninth at 272.

McIlroy also made a spirited run for gold with five straight birdies from No. 10, but a wet double bogey on the challenging par-4 16th dashed his hopes.

Scheffler's victory marks his seventh title in a remarkable year, which includes a successful defense of The Players Championship and his second Masters Tournament win in April.

Fleetwood, trailing Scheffler by one stroke on No. 17, faltered with a costly bogey, ultimately missing the chance to force a playoff.

Matsuyama, who had shared the halfway lead, rebounded from a level-par 71 on Saturday with a flawless 65 to secure a medal in his second Olympics.

Earlier, Rahm seemed poised to win gold for Spain, leading by four shots at the turn, but consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th, followed by a double bogey on the 14th, thwarted his momentum. Back-to-back bogeys on his final two holes saw him miss the podium altogether.