The men’s golf tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games had an incredible finish this Sunday, in which World number one, American Scottie Scheffler, came from behind, produced an extraordinary scorecard and took the gold medal.
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With a great round of 62, nine under par, Scheffler took advantage of the collapse of the Spaniard Jon Rahm, who had a four-stroke lead with nine holes to go and who rolled down the steps until he was left off the podium.
Scottie Scheffler
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Apart from the spectacular victory of the American and the fall of Rahm, another event marked the last round of the Olympic tournament. South Korean Kim Joo-hyung, better known as Tom Kim, starred in one of the most dramatic scenes of the day.
Tom Kim
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Kim is only 22 years old, but he is one of the most promising players on the PGA Tour. He has already won three times on that circuit: he won the Wyndham Championship in 2022 and won the Shriners Children’s Open two years in a row (2022 and 2023).
Last year he also came close to winning his first Major: he finished second in the British Open at Royal Liverpool, six strokes behind the champion, the American Brian Harman, and tied with Rahm, the Australian Jason Day and the Austrian Sepp Straka.
Besides seeking the medal, Kim had another reason to fight: If he were to make it to the podium, he would be exempt from military service, which in South Korea is mandatory and lasts 21 months, during which time he would not be able to continue playing on the American tour.
Despite sharing a threesome with Scheffler, the eventual champion, and the Belgian Thomas Detry, Kim played the four rounds under par (66-68-69-68) but did not manage to get into the medal zone. He finished in eighth place, with 271 strokes (-13), six away from gold, five away from silver, won by the British Tommy Fleetwood, and five away from bronze, which went to the Japanese Hideki Matsuyama.
The moment when Kim cries for being left off the podium
Scheffler stole the show, with television showing the moment she handed over her card, waiting for Fleetwood to finish and secure the gold. But few noticed that, at the same table, Kim signed hers in tears, unable to avoid the militia.
Kim might still have one chance to avoid military service, and that is to win a medal at the Asian Games, but that is still two years away: they will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
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