Tommy Fleetwood had a great chance.
He started the Olympic final round one stroke behind the leader at 13 under and will play alongside Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, who are tied for the lead after 54 holes. Fleetwood, Rahm and Schauffele start together in the final group, meaning the Briton will have the gold medal and the lead in his sights all day.
“I’m really looking forward to playing, you look at the leaderboard, the leaderboard is great,” Fleetwood said.
“It’s kind of like the leaderboard you’d expect at the Olympics and probably something that the sport deserves. I’m happy to be a part of it and it’s been going really well so far. I don’t know what to expect but I’m looking forward to it.” [Sunday].”
If Fleetwood wins gold, it will be the biggest victory of his career. He’s come damn close to winning gold at major championships, with seven top-five finishes since 2018. He’s also a runner-up five times on the PGA Tour, most notably at last year’s RBC Canadian Open, where he was up close and personal with Nick Taylor’s thrilling 72-footer.
So a gold medal would surely exorcise those demons and bring great joy to Fleetwood and his hometown of Southport, England, especially in light of the tragedy that unfolded in the Merseyside town on July 29.
But Fleetwood has received overwhelming support in France this week, with other players asking him: “Is this your country?”
“They treated me really well, it’s definitely a different crowd to what we’re used to, it’s a real Olympic crowd and the atmosphere was great,” Fleetwood said.
“I’ve always felt very lucky to have the support and connections I’ve had, but to be at the Olympics and compete for a championship and have that support is just amazing. It’s something you dream of, so what’s the point if you’re not going to enjoy it?”
Crowds have serenaded Fleetwood on every tee box and every green, making the Englishman feel completely at home at Le Golf National, the course where he won four Ryder Cup points in 2018. But Fleetwood has been anything but relaxed this week. He says his swing is a mess, something the world saw at The Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he narrowly missed the cut.
“Again, my swing’s not smooth, it’s not where I’d like to be, but I’ve been managing it well all week,” Fleetwood said.
“I did the same thing today really. I didn’t hit it in any particularly bad places. I had one bogey, but it’s a great effort here. I know there are great scores and, of course, if you play well, you get good scores.”
Fleetwood managed to shoot a two-under 69, but the most crucial moment of his round came in the closing seconds when he made a brilliant par save on the 18th, the most difficult hole on the course.
The Englishman missed the right side of the fairway, laid up just short of the water, then hit an up-and-down shot from 69 yards to save par and stay under 70.
“It feels great,” Fleetwood said of his final par.
“Obviously, it’s never a good feeling to bogey the last hole. It’s a tough hole. But when you get like this and you just barely make par, it feels great. It puts me right behind the leader. The closer I can get tomorrow, the better. Oh, what a lovely feeling.”
But winning a gold medal would be even sweeter, and that’s well within his reach.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
