SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Normally in elite professional golf, there’s little satisfaction in not winning. As Tiger Woods once legendarily proclaimed, “Second-place sucks.”
After a rousing finish to close out the men’s Olympic golf competition, both silver medalist Tommy Fleetwood and bronze medalist Hideki Matsuyama would offer a different assessment.
Fleetwood fell short of Scottie Scheffler’s Sunday charge, bogeying the 71st hole to drop out of a tie for the gold medal, but he drained a six-footer for a closing par to secure the silver. Matsuyama, after a mediocre 71 on Saturday left him on the outside staring in at medal contention, rallied with a final-round 65 to finish a stroke ahead of French hero Victor Perez to win the bronze medal.
Fleetwood, who’s won 10 times in his professional career, made the point that an Olympic medal wasn’t something he ever had a reason to think of because it wasn’t part of golf. Now, it resides in a fundamentally special place.
“Just as a young boy that was taking up the game of golf, none of us here had the chance to dream of being an Olympian or winning an Olympic medal,” he said. “So it was never on our agenda until golf finally got in.
“That quickly changes when you're part of the Olympics. It feels unbelievably special. I know I didn't win gold today, and a very good golfer did. Standing on that podium with a medal in front of the crowd was one of the most amazing moments I've had as a golfer, so I'll remember all those times for the rest of my life.”
Playing as the favored son in his home country at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Matsuyama dropped out of a seven-man playoff for bronze with a missed short par putt. Sunday was a kind of redemption that was hard for him to put into words.
“I had my sights set on the gold medal and up until we finished 17, I think I had a chance at it,” Matsuyama said. “In Tokyo I tried my best to get this, but fell short, so I'm really happy I was able to make it happen this time.
"I definitely think it's better to have won something than nothing at all."
Looked at more critically, Fleetwood easily could have been the most disappointed, holding steady throughout his round while Jon Rahm surged to a lead and then Scheffler rallied. A birdie on the nervy, watery 16th hole put him even with the No. 1 player in the world, but his approach from the rough on the long, uphill 17th bounded through the green, leaving him with nothing to work with and a difficult lie. The bogey dropped him out of the lead and then his approach shot on 18 settled beyond the green. The delicate pitch downhill gave the hole a look before settling six feet by. The putt drew broad cheers and flag-waving from a crowd interspersed with Union Jacks for the man who won at Le Golf National in 2017 and helped lead the European team to a win at the Ryder Cup a year later with his 4-1 record.
“It was very, very enjoyable, it really, really was,” he said. “I think the leaderboard was unbelievable. You know, I just think it was a great spectacle for golf being out there and being part of that. If you're not going to enjoy those times, then you know, you're not going to get much happiness from the game of golf.
“I enjoyed competing against the best players in the world for something that is so sought after and so cherished. This isn't going to happen again now for four years. You're always aware of that. Even on the last for me, normally I'd have sort of given that chip a go. I missed it, and I know I've lost the tournament, but I was still pretty nervous trying to get that Silver Medal over that 6-footer.”
Finishing second, at least in this instance, clearly didn’t suck.