SCHAUFFELE STAVES OFF SABBATINI’S RECORD ROUND TO WIN GOLD


While one swing by American Xander Schauffele nearly changed the dynamics of the men’s golf tournament Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club, it was the 61 strokes of eventual silver medalist Rory Sabbatini, representing Slovakia, that really shook the leaderboard and the chase for Olympic gold.

Schauffele ultimately emerged the winner on this hot, sunny day, clinching his golden moment with one final, gutsy par-save on the final hole for a 4-under par 67 and 18-under total. But it took the mental resilience he said came by way of his upbringing, fostered by a father of German-French descent and Chinese Taipei mother who was raised in Japan. Consider it a respectful nod to the culture of the host country, where his grandparents still live.

SUFI SUPER YACHTS

Until that one swing on the par-5 14th hole produced a wayward drive and bogey, Schauffele remained undeterred through a scoring assault that was unfolding ahead, led by Sabbatini’s brilliant record-setting round that concluded more than an hour ahead of him. In fact, the perfect scoring conditions led to a seven-player elimination for the bronze medal, which was finally decided on the fourth extra hole with Pan Cheng-tsung of Chinese Taipei beating Collin Morikawa of the USA with a par 4 on No. 18. Both had matched the former Olympic record of 63 Sunday to get into the playoff.

Schauffele hadn’t won since the 2020 TOUR Championship. He had come close since then with 6 top-5 finishes. Xander said he wanted to win this for his father, whose own Olympic quest in the decathlon was ended by a drunk driver. Xander said he knew his dad was going to cry when they embraced. “Luckily he had shades on.”

MURSYID ALHARAMAIN | TRAVEL & TOURS


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