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Representative Image: Shubhankar Sharma ended in tied 40th position for India’s best-ever finish in men’s golf at the Olympics. (Stock photo)
Shubhankar Sharma ended in tied 40th position for India’s best-ever finish in men’s golf at the Olympics while compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar signed off in tied 45th place here on Sunday.
India’s previous best result in the men’s golf at the Olympics was tied 42nd achieved by Anirban Lahiri at Tokyo three years ago.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler played as only he can and produced a sizzling final round of nine-under to grab the gold medal at Le Golf National. And he broke into tears of joy on the podium as he received his medal.
It has been an amazing year as he continues to cement his place at the top in a season he has won seven times, including at the Masters.
Beginning with the Hero World Challenge in December, when the 2023-24 season started, he has won seven titles and capped it with an Olympic gold. The wins have included the Masters and the PLAYERS.
Scheffler’s 9-under 62 saw him finish at 19-under and he won by one shot over Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood (66) at 18-under, and Hideki Mastuyama (65) snatched the bronze, that eluded him in his home country, Japan, where he lost in a seven-man play-off.
Matsuyama was 17-under.
India’s Sharma shot a modest 1-over 72 and was tied 40th at 1-under 283. He had a birdie and a bogey on the front nine and on the back nine had three birdies against four bogeys.
Bhullar (70) was tied 45th and his final round had four birdies and three bogeys.
Victor Perez of France, who hit the first shot of 2024 Olympics, was fourth after a round of 63 and a total of 16-under, while Rory McIlroy (66) was tied fifth with Jon Rahm, who for most part of the day looked like marching to a gold medal.
After a flawless front nine with 5-under and a birdie on the 10th he was 20-under and way ahead. Then came the crushing blow at the Le Golf national.
He bogeyed the 11th and 12th, dropped a double on 14th and closed with bogeys on 17-18 and had just one birdie in the stretch from the 11th to 18th. He ended 70 and was tied fifth.
In what was a memorable fight for the gold Scheffler showed his best at the right time in the final round, while Fleetwood stayed close to the top and even level with the then leader Rahm at 18-under-par through 13 holes of the final round.
With a par on the 18th, Scheffler set the clubhouse lead of -19, to equal the course record. The two-time Masters winner got an unexpected boost when Fleetwood missed a putt for a bogey to fall to 18-under.
Fleetwood needed a birdie on 18th to level the score with Scheffler and force a playoff. Instead, he parred and settled for silver.
Matsuyama was quick out of the gates and contended strongly with four birdies in first six holes. He was bogey free but had only two more birdies in the next 12 holes and those came on the 10th and 12th and he had pars from 13th to the 16th, when he needed birdies and more.
First Published: Aug 05 2024 | 9:55 AM IST
