When golf returned to the Olympics in 2016, it was derided and seen as meaning about the same as an average PGA tournament.
A number of top players skipped the Rio Games, due to its proximity to a major and Zika virus concerns. Five years later, the Tokyo Games passed without much fanfare.
Any question over what gold means to golf’s best now, however, was answered and more as tears leaked from Scottie Scheffler’s eyes while The Star Spangled Banner played on the medal stand at Le Golf National on Sunday.
The 28-year-old then shared a kiss with his wife Meredith, who was holding their 3-month-old son Bennett.
Scheffler’s final round 62, along with a stunning collapse from Spain’s Jon Rahm, helped the American win gold for the first time at the Paris Games, putting an exclamation point on a season that also includes a Masters win.
Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, came into Sunday four shots off the lead before making three straight birdies to open the day.
That set the tone for a charge that put him atop the leaderboard for good.
Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, who finished with silver and bronze, respectively, looked just as thrilled on the medal stand, with Matsuyama breaking out his phone for a selfie.
For all the questions about whether golf should be in the Olympics at all, Sunday finally gave an affirmative answer.
No one, but no one, can say now that it doesn’t mean much to those involved.
