Tommy Fleetwood shows true colours after Olympic gold heartbreak

Tommy Fleetwood missed out on the Olympic gold medal in the men’s golf event on Sunday, finishing just one shot behind Scottie Scheffler. Despite the narrow loss, Fleetwood found solace in his performance at Le Golf National, earning a silver medal for Team GB.

Fleetwood’s final round score of five-under 66 left him at 18-under for the week. His chances for gold were dashed by a dropped shot on the 71st hole, allowing Scheffler to secure victory with a phenomenal nine-under-par 62 in the final round.

Reflecting on his achievement, Fleetwood expressed mixed emotions but remained positive. “There’s part of me that’s disappointed, of course, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic medalist,” he shared. “I’m still unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went. I was proud of the way I played today. And yeah, I enjoyed it so much. I take that away from it. This was an incredible atmosphere to play in front of this week and to be a part of.”

Having not been in contention much recently, Fleetwood cherished the experience and the feeling of competing at a high level again. “I haven’t been in the mix that much recently, and I think being back there and playing well and feeling how I felt again, yeah, I enjoyed it so much and I’m unbelievably proud to be an Olympic medalist. I never thought that that would happen.”

Fleetwood also noted the difference in atmosphere and pressure at the Olympics compared to the PGA Tour. Missing the green on the final hole, he needed to chip in to force a playoff with Scheffler but was also aware of the risk of losing the silver medal. “I said earlier in the week, if you’re not going to enjoy those times, then you know, you’re not going to get much happiness from the game of golf. I thought it was great and I enjoyed competing against the best players in the world for something that is so sought after and so cherished. This isn’t going to happen again now for four years.”

He added, “You’re always aware of that. Even on the last for me, normally I’d have sort of given that chip a go. I missed it, and I know I’ve lost the tournament but I was still pretty nervous trying to get that silver medal over that 6-footer. So that’s a different feeling, as well.”

Despite the heartbreak of missing out on gold, Fleetwood’s Olympic silver is a remarkable achievement and a testament to his skill and perseverance.