“It’s been a fun week,” Xander Schauffele said after his third round of the men’s competition at the Olympics.
That fun continued for all in a rousing final round of golf at Kasumigaseki Country Club, and especially for him, as he made a clutch par on the final hole to claim the gold medal.
Schauffele birdied the 18th hole in the third round to take a one-shot lead over Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama into the final round, where he built a four-shot lead after eight holes, only to see one golfer after another make a charge at him.
Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini made the biggest charge, firing an Olympics record 61 to tie for the lead. But Schauffele birdied the 17th after driving it into a bunker and then made par at the last to clinch the gold.
The U.S. sent four male golfers to the Olympics. Here’s a closer look.