Jon Rahm’s fall ‘much more painful than I would like’ at 2024 Olympics
That was the difference between Jon Rahm’s score and Scotty Scheffler’s nine points Sunday in the final round of the 2024 Olympic men’s golf event. Scheffler, the world number one, shot 29 to win gold after shooting 62 in the final round. The executive was led by four shots to play eight holes, pulled 39 on the back, and finished four behind the chafler and podium.
“I don’t remember how I played the tournament at the end, and I felt it -I thought I failed, but I didn’t do it Lum says that I don’t know what kind of words I know because I know it, it’s much more painful than I want. ” Ta. Rahm, who won at LIV Golf UK last week for his first time in more than a year, used a great approach for birdie on the par-four 10th hole to finish the round at six under par and four out with eight holes to go. That’s when it all went wrong, those four holes that changed the outcome of the tournament, he said. He three-putted the par-3 11th for a bogey. Then on the 12th, a wayward tee shot led to another bogey. The dagger, however, was the par-5 14th, the easiest hole of the week. A drive into the left rough forced a layup, but the third shot went left and missed the green. He shortened the chips, finally hit the green in the fifth shot, and then put twice in the worst result of the 14th day of the week.
“The main mistakes are the third shot 14,” Lam said. “One time I missed the fairway, which can’t happen because it’s a tough tee shot, you know, I made a layup, it was a good layup, I can’t do what I did on the third shot. I can’t go left; 8 iron, 162 yards, I think. I’m trying to take the long out of play and I know that a short right hand is okay. Yes, you can’t go left of that green, right, and ended up in a terrible lie. Ended up paying the price for compounding mistakes on that hole.”
Jon Rahm during the final round of the men’s golf competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. (Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)
The collapse is strange from Rahm, who after withdrawing from the U.S. Open because of a foot injury has been on a roll. His worst result of the year at LIV Golf was a T-10, which puts him second in the overall season standings. He had a strong showing at the British Open two weeks ago and won again last week. Rahm led by four strokes with eight games to go and the tournament appeared to be over. He was the only Player of the Week to score 20 points, but finished with 15 points to Scheffler’s 19. He made a birdie on the final par-4 18th hole to tie Matsuyama for the bronze medal, but a three-putt bogey dropped him to fifth place.
“I’ve been asked how I think I’ll rank in this tournament, or how I’ll feel if I win, but I think losing today has made me much more aware of what this tournament means to me than if I’d ‘won’ a medal, right? – said Lam. “I’m starting to realise how much it really meant. I’ve been very honoured to represent Spain in so many different events, and not being able to finish this one hurts a little bit.”
How does Rahm feel about going home empty-handed and without having won a single penny? “The biggest two weeks of my career are the two tournaments where I’m not making any money,” he said. “And I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll say it again because the Ryder Cup and now the Cup are up there. “It’s not like the Ryder Cup, it’s different. It’s not a big prize either, but I feel like it’s almost the ultimate reward for representing your country. And yes, that is, it makes him very special. “”
