Schauffele Shines Golden in Tokyo

Golf’s Showing at the 202ONE Olympics

Golf’s second performance on the Olympic stage since its return in the 2016 Rio Olympics proved to offer quite a show and demonstrate why golf has a place in the Olympic sphere. Granted, like many things during this pandemic era, the golf tournament was faced with early challenges. With the move to ban fans from the Tokyo Games, a decision made by the host city on July, 8, 2021, the players were forced to reacclimate to a vacant environment akin to what was the norm on the PGA Tour in 2020, although succeeded by throngs of galleries at events starting in March of this year.

Furthermore, due to travel concerns and scheduling, three golfers within the top 15 of the world rankings, including World No. 2 Dustin Johnson and World No. 8 Louis Oosthuizen who recorded three top 3 finishes at the majors in 2021, decided to skip the Olympics.

Unfortunately, the logistics of the event had the Men’s Olympic Tournament scheduled from July 28 to August 1, starting just 11 days after the conclusion of the British Open and ending just 4 days prior to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational where both important FedEx Cup Playoff Points and Points for Ryder Cup consideration are on the line. In contrast, the Olympics Tournament does not offer FedEx Cup Points, and the strength of its international field is considerably weaker than significant PGA Tour Events, leading to fewer World Golf Ranking Points available.

In addition to players who opted out, positive COVID-19 tests prevented other top contenders in Jon Rahm, who, at this year’s Memorial Tournament, was also derailed by a positive test from what would have been a runaway victory, and Bryson Dechambeau from competing. Finally, the 13-hour time-zone-difference, which saw each of the event’s four rounds conclude at 3:30 am or later eastern time, complicated the ability for fans to watch live coverage.

Unfortunately, the logistics of the event had the Men’s Olympic Tournament scheduled from July 28 to August 1, starting just 11 days after the conclusion of the British Open and ending just 4 days prior to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational where both important FedEx Cup Playoff Points and World Golf Ranking Points for Ryder Cup consideration are on the line.

Nevertheless, the men’s field of 60 players was represented by 35 different countries with most countries sending two golfers and the United States sending its allowed four due to all four players being within the top 15 of the official world golf ranking. This globally-well-represented field saw some unfamiliar names reach the top of the leaderboard in the first round with Sami Valimaki from Finland holding the early lead and World No. 161 Sepp Straka capturing the 18-hole lead followed by Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters. However, at the tournament’s halfway point, the top names, led by Xander Schauffele, had ascended to the lead.

The local favorite, Hideki Matsuyama, coming off his win at the Masters earlier this year, entered the week primed to secure a medal for Japan. In fact, Kasumigaseki Country Club, the host venue, was the site at which the Japanese golfer won the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship which earned him an invitation to his first Masters.

Through three rounds, Matsuyama, who, despite the absence of spectators, was followed by a crowd of eager volunteers and photographers, found himself just a shot back of leader Schauffele. Other big names, including Rory McIlroy playing for Ireland, Great Britain’s Paul Casey, and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz were also in the mix with USA’s young phenom Collin Morikawa going into Sunday with an outside look at the Olympic Podium.

Schauffele took control early on Sunday, going out in 4-under 32 and taking a 3-shot lead. However, he was challenged not by those closest at the onset of the fourth round nor by a top 150 player in the world. Instead, it was Rory Sabbatini. The South African-born golfer playing for his wife’s nation of Slovakia was 5-under in his first six holes and posted an Olympic-Record 10-under 61 (granted, golf has only been an Olympic sport four times and only twice in the modern era).

With Sabbatini as the clubhouse leader at 17-under par, Schauffele needed to get up and down for birdie on the 71st hole and then recover on the 72nd, after a poor tee shot forced a layup, with a par save from 98 yards out, ultimately converting a four-foot par putt that made him an Olympic Champion.

The race for the bronze medal was even more gripping. Down the stretch, more than a handful of players were hovering around the 15-under mark. Matsuyama had makeable birdie putts, all within 15 feet, on 16, 17, and 18, but failed to convert all three, any of which would have broken up the log jam for bronze and moved him into third place outright. This led to a 7-man playoff for the bronze. In addition to Matsuyama, the group included Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, Collin Morikawa, thanks to his final round 63, C.T. Pan, Sebastián Muñoz, and Mito Pereira. The size of the sudden-death playoff, which began on the 18th hole, required its splitting into two pairings.

The first pairing of four golfers resulted in four pars despite close birdie putts from Pan, Morikawa, and Muñoz. Then, unfortunately, for the home country, the next pairing of three yielded a playoff-tying par from McIlroy and two bogeys by Casey and Matsuyama, who failed to take advantage of a perfect tee shot and missed another putt.

The playoff of now five players moved to the par 3 10th hole where all players made par. It was not till the next playoff hole at the 11th, that the group produced any birdies. Those birdies came from both Morikawa and Pan whose respective shots landed just inches right and inches left of the hole. McIlroy’s birdie bid burned the edge as his fellow Irishman and the 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry looked on.

Back to the 18th for the fourth playoff hole, Morikawa seemed the clear favorite against Pan, the 200th ranked player with his sole PGA Tour win coming at the 2019 RBC Heritage. Disappointingly for fans of Team USA, Morikawa’s approach from the first cut came up short of the green and plugged in the face of a greenside bunker. From there, he was unable to get his third within 25 feet and made bogey. Pan’s scrambling effort from the left of the green left him an uphill par putt from just inside 10 feet to secure the bronze. When the putt fell, his fellow Taiwanese women golfers, set to play the women’s tournament starting August 3, showered Pan, who will be awarded approximately $179,000 from his home country for the bronze, with water.

Although Schauffele, Sabbatini, and Pan wore masks during the medal ceremony, following the Olympic COVID guidelines, it was clear what the moment meant to them. Schauffele, whose mother was raised in Tokyo and whose grandparents still live in the city, captured Team USA’s 20th gold medal, having put USA just three golds behind China in the medal count.

After the extra year of waiting for these Tokyo Olympics, we only have to wait another three before Paris in 2024. Thankfully, it will be a little easier to negotiate with the time zone difference of 6 hours.