SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — The closing holes at Le Golf National hardly offer a feeling of serenity with a medal at stake on Sunday during the final round of the Olympic Golf Tournament.
Jason Day got a taste of that during the third round Saturday and walked off the course ruing his missed opportunities. The Australian shot 67 which might have left him too far back in the chase for one of the top prizes with a stacked leaderboard that has Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm on top.
But the fact that Day lamented that conclusion is what mattered.
He cared far more than he ever dreamed.
“Yes, by far, a lot more. Not only playing for your country and your teammates,” Day said. “The crowd has made it fantastic to be a part of it. Definitely feel honored to be able to come here and represent my country. It's been a fun week. The dinners, team dinners have been tremendous and we had a lot of fun.
“Typically we are always constantly trying to win tournaments on the PGA Tour. We look at the money list and we look at what money we'd make. You don't earn anything this week. You're earning a medal, and I think that brings out something deep from whether it's when you're a junior golfer or amateur golfer that it means something more than just some money at the end of the day for us.
“It's definitely opened my eyes, too; I've thoroughly enjoyed representing something bigger than myself. That's been a complete honor to do that.”
No matter how it ends on Sunday—and it has the potential to be really good—the third version of the modern Olympic Golf has seen a transformation from indifference to acceptance to appreciation.
MORE: A glance at the top contenders going into Sunday's final round
Day, 36, was the No. 1-ranked player in the world when he skipped the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, golf’s first return in more than 100 years. It was a blow to lose a player of his caliber, just as it was to not have Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott and others who were eligible.
The Zika Virus played a role in that but so, too, did a general malaise about golf and the Olympics. Whether it was the format, the crowded golf schedule, the relative unimportance of a gold or silver or bronze medal when the ultimate prizes in golf are green jackets or Claret Jugs, golf’s return was less than spectacular.
Now it looks terrific, and a great leaderboard helps.
Rahm, who won the Masters last year before leaving for LIV Golf last December, has found his form in recent weeks and shot 66 to tie two-time major winner Schauffele at 199, 14 under par.
Right behind is one of the second round co-leaders, Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 69 and is third, one stroke back.
“I'm very, very excited to play,” Fleetwood said. “You look at the leaderboard, the leaderboard is amazing. It's like a leaderboard that you would expect at the Olympics and probably what the sport deserves, if you like.
“Happy to be a part of it and sort of been doing very well so far. So we'll see. I'm just looking forward to tomorrow.”
Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard roared into contention with a course-record-tying 62 which is interesting for another reason—it tied the record also held by his twin brother, Rasmus. He’s tied with 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, just three back.
Then there’s Rory McIlroy (66) and Scottie Scheffler( 67) who are four shots behind. Day is five back and tied for 10th with Ludvig Aberg.
“It's amazing for the game to see all those sorts of players up there,” McIlroy said. “Obviously Xander who has had an incredible year; Scottie, best player in the world; you've got Jon Rahm, some younger players; Nicolai shooting 62 today. Yeah, it's an amazing leaderboard and should be an exciting day tomorrow.”
The day began with Schauffele, Fleetwood and Matsuyama tied for the lead and there was quite a bit of back-and-forth and moving around.
McIlroy, who got himself back into the tournament with a front-side 33, said he couldn’t “help myself” when it came to checking out the leaderboards.
“Don't have the discipline not to,” he said. “I was looking at it most of the round, especially when there's a couple of, like Tommy is up there and keeping an eye on how he's doing. I've been watching it a good bit.”
This is exactly what Olympic golf needed. A strong leaderboard with players who are stoked to win a medal is imperative.
But, so, too has been the venue. Le Golf National, which hosted a very successful Ryder Cup in 2018, has been excellent, far better than expected as it relates to the fan experience and support. While the course has been home to several big tournaments over the years, including the French Open, the country is not on the level of the United States and the United Kingdom when it comes to its golf passion.
Spectators have been out in full force, never more apparent when Frenchmen Viktor Perez or Matthieu Pavon do anything of note.
And fans from other countries have found their way some 30 miles outside of Paris to fill the grandstands, concession lines and gallery ropes.
“I can't believe the amount of Irish support I've had out there,” said Shane Lowry. “It's been incredible. I said to Darren (Reynolds, his caddie), not even doing well and they are still out there. It's pretty cool. I was in Tokyo (for the 2021 Olympics) as well, and let's be honest, it didn't feel like a huge tournament but COVID, COVID was weird.
“But this certainly feels like one of the biggest tournaments in the world when you're here, which is pretty cool.”
McIlroy is one who changed his mind about the Olympics. Now 35, he skipped in 2016, then contended for a bronze medal three years ago in Japan, losing in a seven-man playoff.
Afterward, McIlroy said: “I never tried so hard to finish third.”
He’s got a chance to do better than that on Sunday with a slew of people in contention.
“I think the one thing that we've been taken aback by is just how many people are out there,” he said. “I think that was the thing that I've been surprised by. Especially the contrast of having no one here on the practice days, and then getting here and having 20,000 people, it's really cool. I think that's been the big talking point, just how great the support has been for us out here.
“But yeah, I mean, I think I was in a certain mindset going into Tokyo and I left with a different mindset, just like I've done a lot of times in my career because I'm ignorant and naïve and don't give things much thought. But once you experience things, you start to see what the hype is about.”
Day has learned that as well as anyone. He’s admitted to making a mistake in skipping eight years ago.
There’s no money (relatively speaking), no FedEx Cup points, no incentive, really, once you get beyond the top three medal spots.
But Day said none of that matters. The Olympics is different, pride is at stake. And it was evident as he lamented bogeying two of his last five holes, making his task just that much tougher.
“It definitely feels like a major for sure, especially the crowd, standing on the first tee. I know the golf course is a tough one, and it would be really tough if we had stronger winds,” Day said.
“I think the way that they have prepared the golf course this week has been actually a lot of fun to play. I think it's been quite fair. I think with history as it grows, I think this might turn into something of a major, the feeling of a major.
“It's really young, in its infancy. It just has to have some more history.”
Sunday offers an excellent opportunity to build on that.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as With a Stacked Leaderboard, Sunday's Final Round Will Be Golf's Greatest Olympic Moment Yet.
