SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Scottie Scheffler was a model of calm as he delivered the greatest closing round of his golf career.
The final two hours were about charges and collapses, pure theater that ended Sunday with an Olympic gold medal fittingly draped around the neck of the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking
It was only when the 28-year-old American stood atop the podium, as the final few bars of “The Star-Spangled Banner” belted out across Le Golf National, that he lost control. With the medal dangling beneath the 6-foot-3 Texan’s right hand fixed across his chest, Scheffler raised his left arm to cover the sobs.
Tears are nothing new for Scheffler. His latest victory brought out his very best.
Four shots behind to start the final round at the Paris Olympics, then six shots behind early on the back nine, Scheffler made birdies on five of six holes down the stretch and matched the course record with a 9-under-par 62 for a one-shot victory over Great Britiain’s Tommy Fleetwood (66).