PGA Tour star clashes with Rory McIlroy in controversial gold medal admission

Matthieu Pavon, a star of the PGA Tour , has stated that winning an Olympic gold medal on home turf would be a greater achievement than securing any of the four major championships .

Pavon is set to represent France in Paris this week , having secured one of the 60 available spots at Le Golf National. Golf made its comeback to the Olympic schedule in 2016, after last featuring in 1908.

Since then, both men's and women's golf have been included in the 2021 Tokyo Games, and will make a return in Paris this week.

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For Pavon, this week holds special significance as he gets the opportunity to compete for one of the three medals up for grabs on home soil, with the French capital hosting the global sporting community over the next month.

There has been much debate about where an Olympic win stands in terms of professional golfing achievements, especially considering its recent reintroduction to the modern game. However, for the Frenchman, it ranks right at the top.

"I always felt like a major for golf is more important because we have not really grown up with the Olympics," Pavon stated.

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"Golf returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio. So that was a different feeling I first had. And after spending a few days in the Olympic Village, attending the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and experiencing all the great moments over the past few days, it really feels like a Gold Medal would now rank higher than a major for me."

When asked about when he began to dream of Olympic glory, he shared: "The thing is, we haven't really grown up with the Olympics in mind as we were a kid. It happens a few years ago. For me, I always go step by step. I feel like, first, what was my dream since a kid, it's to go play in America, and this is what I achieved end of last year.

"Then my dream is to win in America. This is what I did. The next step in front of me was the Olympics. So this is --it just came like very naturally, and it was like kind of unexpected because this is not like the biggest goal I have to achieve first year, but it kind of clicked pretty well and fast when I started the year, and this is how I went straight to be like, let's say, underdog to someone who would be int he Olympics this year."

Pavon will be competing at Le Golf National alongside top golfers such as Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy . McIlroy has consistently placed more importance on major championships than Olympic success, famously stating in 2016: "I think I'll be remembered for my major championships. So all I've dreamed of from a little kid is winning majors."

Rory McIlroy, who previously never dreamed of Olympic glory, placing a major above an Olympic medal, has shared his thoughts with BBC Sport: "It's hard to say [whether the Olympics will become like a major], as even this week, the way the qualification system works, not all the best players in the world are here.

"You'd like to think that if you're going to win something really prestigious in the sport then you want all the best players playing and that isn't quite happening here."

However, at a pre-event press conference with Shane Lowry, McIlroy acknowledged that winning at the Olympics would be his greatest achievement of the year, especially after not making a significant impact in the majors.