Golf

Hideki Matsuyama Claims Olympic Golf Bronze with a Final-Round 65

American Scottie Scheffler captured the golf gold medal, beating Britain's Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke. Matsuyama finished a shot behind the runner-up.

by
Jack Gallagher
August 5, 2024

Hideki Matsuyama captured the bronze medal in the 2024 Olympic men's golf tournament after carding a final-round 65 on Sunday, August 4 at the par-71 Le Golf National course near Paris.

The 32-year-old Matsuyama had four birdies on the front nine and two on the back nine in a bogey-free round that featured strong play off the tees and with his irons. He finished at 17-under 267.

American Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, burned up the course with a 9-under par 62 on Sunday to win the gold medal at 19-under par 265 in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.

Britain's Tommy Fleetwood claimed the silver medal just one shot behind Scheffler at 266 after shooting a 66 on Sunday.

How the Final Round of Golf Unfolded for Matsuyama

Matsuyama held a two-shot lead after firing a 63 in the first round, but saw his putting betray him in the final round when he had a legitimate chance to win the gold.

The Ehime Prefecture native, who won the Masters in 2021, missed more than a half-dozen birdie chances with his poor putting. Matsuyama had a chance to go to 18-under by making a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, but pushed it past the hole.

"I missed a medal in Tokyo, so I'm glad I got one," said Matsuyama, who tied for fourth at the Tokyo Games, according to Kyodo News. "But I still have mixed feelings because the gold medalist was next to me on the podium."

Matsuyama also told reporters that he hopes his success at Paris 2024 can help boost interest in the sport in Japan.

"I'd love for this to be a catalyst for promoting men's golf even more," Matsuyama commented. "I'm also really looking forward to working hard for the next Olympics."

Other Results in the Olympic Golf Tournament

Spain's Jon Rahm held a four-shot lead after 10 holes, but came apart on the back nine with four bogeys and one double bogey. Rahm ended up shooting a 70 to finish fifth at 269.

Rory McIlroy made a late run at a medal, but came up short and was tied for fifth with Rahm at 269 after shooting 66 in the last round.

Japan's other golfer to make the cut was Keita Nakajima, who shot a final-round 74 and finished tied for 49th at 3-over par 287.

Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.