Tommy Fleetwood looked set to win gold for Team GB in the men’s Olympic golf event on Sunday, but the Englishman fell one shot short of top spot behind Scottie Scheffler.
Tommy Fleetwood may well have missed out on Olympic gold in the men’s golf event on Sunday, but the Team GB star was able to see the positive side of his performance at Le Golf National.
Fleetwood earned himself a place on the podium after finishing second, just one shot back of eventual champion Scottie Scheffler. Bursting through the pack on the final day, Scheffler shot a superb nine-under-par 62 in round four to get his hands on the gold medal.
In second came Fleetwood, and it was a dropped shot on the 71st hole of the week saw him give up the chance to win gold. The Englishman ended the week at 18-under, following a five-under 66 in the final round.
Despite coming so close to becoming Olympic champion, Fleetwood remained up-beat in the aftermath, having got his hands on a silver medal. “There’s part of me that’s disappointed, of course, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic medalist,” he said post-round.
“You know, I’m still unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went. I was proud of the way I played today. And yeah, I enjoyed it so much. I take that away from it. This was an incredible atmosphere to play in front of this week and to be a part of.
Recently, I haven’t been as involved in the competition, but returning and performing well has brought back enjoyable feelings.
I am extremely proud to now be an Olympic medalist, something I never anticipated happening.
Fleetwood found himself in an uncommon situation, as he was not accustomed to consistently being recognized for finishing in second place on the PGA Tour. After failing to hit the green on the last hole, the English golfer understood that he had to make a successful chip shot to tie with Scheffler and potentially force a playoff.
Despite the tension of the moment, Fleetwood was determined to not lose his chance at second place.
Earlier this week, I mentioned that if you don’t find pleasure in those moments, you won’t derive much joy from playing golf.
I found it to be a great experience and I relished the opportunity to compete against the top players in the world for a highly valued prize.
Unfortunately, this won’t occur again for another four years. “You are constantly mindful of that. Usually, in a situation like that, I would have attempted to take on that difficult shot.
I ended up missing it, which cost me the tournament, but I still felt anxious about trying to win the second-place medal with that 6-foot putt. It was a unique sensation.”