An emotional Scottie Scheffler burst into tears after winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris on Sunday.
Scheffler continued his turbulent year by winning the Olympic golf tournament, less than three months after he was infamously arrested while attempting to compete in the PGA Championship in Kentucky.
The current world number 1 won in a dramatic battle with Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood for gold. He scored a series of birdies in the closing stages and equalled the course record with a round of 62.
And when he took the podium on Sunday, Scheffler burst into tears as the U.S. national anthem was played to celebrate his victory.
His wife Meredith was also photographed partying in the crowd with their son Bennett, who was born a week before his father’s arrest at the PGA Championship.
An emotional Scottie Scheffler burst into tears after winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris
After finishing at -19, Scheffler waited with bated breath to see if Fleetwood would match his score and force a play-off hole.
When the Briton failed to make birdie on the final hole, as would have been the case, Scheffler celebrated his Olympic victory on the driving range with caddie Ted Scott.
Fleetwood had to settle for silver in France, while Hideki Matsuyama completed the top three. The Japanese star shot a final-round 65 to take bronze with -17.
Meanwhile, Spaniard Jon Rahm squandered a sizeable lead heading into the final nine holes after losing six strokes to fall outside the medal table.
With this victory, Scheffler becomes the first world number 1 to win Olympic gold while retaining the top spot.
Scheffler continued his rollercoaster year by winning the Olympic golf tournament
On Sunday, he led with four consecutive birdies in the closing stages, the biggest being his shot from deep rough on the 17th hole and the 18-foot birdie putt that gave him the lead for the first time that day.
The two-time Masters champion set an Olympic record by playing 72 holes at 19-under 265. Fleetwood, who lost the lead after a bogey in the rough on the 17th hole, managed a par 66 on the final hole to win silver.
Scheffler is the second American in a row to win gold in men’s golf, following Xander Schauffele at the Tokyo Games.
