In what will go down as one of the most crushing collapses in recent Olympic golf history, Jon Rahm squandered a commanding lead on the final day in Paris to miss out on winning Spain's first ever men's golf medal.
Rahm had been in superb form all week at Le Golf National, opening with rounds of 67-66-66 to hold a four shot advantage going into Sunday's final round. But what appeared poised to be a historic victory suddenly turned sour after only 10 holes.
Disaster struck for Rahm over the next four holes, where he incredibly carded a four over par total. At the par three 11th, he three putted from 32 feet in a nightmare of a hole. His problems continued at the next, failing to save par from off the green on 12. But it was the par-5 14th that really did him in. After flying his third shot into a poor lie short of the green, Rahm left his chip woefully short of the putting surface, watching it roll all the way back down the hill for a shocking 7. It was the ultimate collapse over those four holes that ultimately cost him the chance at gold.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Ironically, as Rahm was imploding over those crucial holes, others were making their moves. World #1 Scottie Scheffler had begun the day six shots back but was igniting, playing the back nine in the astonishingly low score of 29 under par to rocket up the leaderboard. Meanwhile, England's Tommy Fleetwood birdied 11th and 12th to also gain ground on the lead. And Spain's own Victor Perez was on an incredible run, playing five holes in six under par to emerge as a potential medalist.
By the time Rahm stepped onto the 15th tee, any chances of winning gold had vanished. Though he kept fighting, bogeys on the final two holes saw him ultimately shoot an even-par 70, tying with Rory McIlroy for fifth place, a full four shots behind champion Scheffler. More painfully for Rahm, he also missed out on bronze by two shots, with that medal instead going to Japan's Hideki Matsuyama thanks to his surge up the leaderboard. It was a collapse that will no doubt haunt Rahm for a long time to come.
By the time Rahm stepped onto the 15th tee, whatever control he once held over the tournament had vanished. Though he kept fighting to the end, closing with two bogeys only underlined how fully his game had unraveled under the pressure of delivering Spain's first golfing glory at the Olympics. He eventually signed for a one under 70 to finish in a tie for 5th, an outcome hardly reflecting the promise of his sizzling start.
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In a raw, emotional interview afterwards, it was clear just how deeply the collapse had cut Rahm. "To not get this one done stings quite a bit," he confessed.
“I don't remember the last time I played a tournament and I felt this—I don't know what the word is because, you know, I not only feel like I let myself down but to just not get it done for the whole country of Spain, it's a lot more painful than I would like it to be,” Rahm said. “I've gotten the question, where this tournament would rank in my opinion or what I would think it would feel like to win, and I think by losing today, I'm getting a much deeper appreciation of what this tournament means to me than if I had won any medal, right.
“The three-putt situation has been an issue the whole week,” he said. “I think I three-putted pretty much every day and this is not something I'm used to. I think I had three, four, five, six three-putts for the week and that's way too many.
"The main mistake is the third shot on 14. Once I missed the fairway, which can't happen because it's a tough tee shot to hit … it was a good lay up, I can't do what I did on the third shot.”
The leaderboard @OlympicGolf as the final group makes the turn:
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 4, 2024
1. 🇪🇸 Jon Rahm (-19)
T2. 🇬🇧 Tommy Fleetwood (-16)
T2. 🇯🇵 Hideki Matsuyama (-16)
4. 🇺🇸 Xander Schauffele (-15)
T5. 🇰🇷 Tom Kim (-14)
T5. 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler (-14)
7. 🇩🇰 Nicolai Højgaard (13) pic.twitter.com/Malt6sLU8H
While he'll surely dwell on the missed chances, there were still positives to glean from his return to top form after months away from competition. But on this day, it was the pain of falling just short that will linger long after the medals have been awarded in Paris.
“Maybe a little too early to think about that right now. Played in really good golf. At one point between Friday and the front nine today, probably about as good as I've played since early last year,” he said. “So that's a massive positive to think about going towards the end of the season in LIV. I would have liked it play that good earlier in the year but it's nice to on a fourth week in a row to putt up that performance. It's too bad I couldn't finish it off."
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