KAWAGOE, Japan (AP) – Her heart rate hit its peak only when Nelly Korda stood on the Olympic podium, not when she had a putter in her hand with a gold medal hanging on every shot.
Six days earlier, the father of Xander Schauffele was the essence of calm as he shared his views in German and English, depending on who was asking. But as his son turned to face the three flag poles to the left of the 18th green and the Star-Spangled Banner played, Stefan Schauffele was an emotional mess. He could barely say “anthem” without choking up.
“Nobody is going to play the anthem for you when you win the Masters, right? That level of pride doesn’t exist in the Masters,” the father said. “It’s not a fifth major. But the importance of it is just like a major.”
The second edition of golf’s return to the Olympics captured a spirit of the games that is sure to build over the next three years until Paris, and then onward to Los Angeles and Australia.
It’s not the fifth major, or even the sixth one.