Le Golf National, Paris - The first round of men's golf at the 2024 Paris Olympics is in the books, and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama holds a one-shot lead after shooting an 8-under 63 on Thursday at Le Golf National. Matsuyama finished his round early and sits at the top of a competitive leaderboard as the world's best golfers make their bids for Olympic glory.

Chasing Matsuyama is defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele of the United States. Schauffele, fresh off his victory at The Open Championship two weeks ago, carded a 6-under 65 to find himself in solo second place, one shot back of the lead. Both Matsuyama and Schauffele will be considered the favorites going into the final two rounds.

Paving the way for the next generation.

How @HidekiOfficial_ helped inspire a new era of Japanese golf 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/eDJEKprf3c

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 1, 2024

Matsuyama spoke modestly after his round, saying he took advantage of opportunities when they came. "Today's result was good. So, I'll take that as a positive. My putts went in the cup well today. My shots went into the fairway, too. So, I had a lot of chances, so I'm happy," said the Japanese star. His eight under round was an impressive one shot off the course record.

Scottie Scheffler, the world's top-ranked golfer, also put himself in contention after an impressive putting display. Despite not having his best stuff overall, Scheffler managed a 4-under-par 67 to be tied for third, three shots off the pace. Also at 4-under is South African Erik van Rooyen, who vaulted up the leaderboard late in his round.

Some other notables near the top include Chile's Joaquin Niemann, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo, and South Korea's Tom Kim.

Schauffele will likely be Matsuyama's biggest challenger after also playing solid golf. The American trailed by just one heading to the challenging final hole but was unable to gain any more strokes.

He's the defending champ for a reason 💪@XSchauffele sits solo second after an opening-round 65 @OlympicGolf. pic.twitter.com/rF1SjnnBK3

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 1, 2024

Play was suspended briefly during the day due to lightning in the area. But the show must go on and all eyes will be on if Matsuyama can convert his early advantage into Olympic gold come the weekend. Competition for the medals is sure to heat up as the world's best golfers battle it out over the next three days at Le Golf National.

Read more: Olympic Golf Returns to Paris in 2024: How to Watch on TV and Streaming

Highlights

Matsuyama's performance: He improved his game by more than six shots on the field and mentioned how good his putting and fairway shots were.

Schauffele's Round: After getting off to a great start, Schauffele had a little setback on the 17th hole, but he still ended with a respectable score, which would position him to successfully defend his championship.

Other contenders: Erik van Rooyen is now third at 6-under, with Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm still in contention at 4-under and 5-under, respectively.

Crowd mood: The tournament has drawn unexpectedly large audiences, with players including as Rory McIlroy remarking on the lively mood, which was more dynamic than expected given the number of events taking place throughout Paris.

Notable Difficulties: Wyndham Clark had a slow start, finishing with a 74 that put him toward the bottom of the standings.

Leaderboard after Round 1 @OlympicGolf 🏌️‍♂️

1. 🇯🇵 Hideki Matsuyama (-8)
2. 🇺🇸 Xander Schauffele (-6)
T3. 🇰🇷 Tom Kim (-5)
T3. 🇦🇷 Emiliano Grillo (-5)
T3. 🇨🇱 Joaquin Niemann (-5)

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 1, 2024

The top 20 golfers competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, based on their performance in the first round, are as follows:

• 1. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan): -8 (F)
• 2. Xander Schauffele (United States): -6 (F)
• T-3. Joaquin Neimann (Chile): -5 (F)
• T-3. Emiliano Grillo (Argentina): -5 (F)
• T-3. Tom Kim (Korea): -5 (F)
• T-6. Alex Noren (Sweden): -4 (F)
• T-6. Ryan Fox (New Zealand): -4 (F)
• T-6. Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain): -4 (F)
• T-6. Sepp Straka (Austria): -4 (F)
• T-6. Scottie Scheffler (United States): -4 (F)
• T-6. Sami Valimaki (Finland): -4 (F)
• T-6. Erik van Rooyen (South Africa): - 4 (F)
• T-6. Jon Rahm (Spain): -4 (F)
• T-14. Matthias Schmid (Germany): -3 (F)
• T-14. Alejandro Tosti (Argentina): -3 (F)
• T-14. Corey Conners (Canada): -3 (F)
• T-14. Rory McIlroy (Ireland): -3 (F)
• T-14. Ludvig Aberg (Sweden): -3 (F)
• T-14. Guido Migliozzi (Italy): -3 (F)
• T-14. Carlos Ortiz (Mexico): -3 (F)