By Gus Trompiz
PARIS (Reuters) -U.S. world number one Scottie Scheffler won gold at the men's Olympic golf competition on Sunday after matching the course record in a nail-biting final round to pip crowd favourite Tommy Fleetwood of Britain.
Scheffler shot a nine-under-par round of 62 to finish the tournament at 19-under-par, one shot ahead of Fleetwood who took silver on Le Golf National course.
Japan's Hideki Matsuyama claimed the bronze medal a further shot back, going one better than on home soil three years ago when he just missed bronze in a seven-way playoff for third place at the Tokyo Games.
The Olympic title adds to a spectacular year for the 28-year-old Scheffler, who bagged his second Masters title in April as part of six tour successes.
The usually calm American punched the air on the 17th hole where he holed a birdie to take the outright lead before letting out tears on the podium after securing the gold.
"It's been a long week, it's been a challenging week. I played some great golf today and I'm proud to be going home with a medal," Scheffler told reporters.
Like the other participants, he was impressed with the exuberant crowds who roared on French players as well as members of Europe's Ryder Cup team. Fleetwood in particular was cheered on for his starring role in Europe's 2018 Ryder Cup win over the United States at the same venue south of Paris.
"I think golf showcased itself amazingly well this week," the 33-year-old Englishman said.
Scheffler's scintillating bogey-free round let him overhaul a four-shot deficit against overnight joint leaders Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm.
Spaniard Rahm, a two-time major winner, surged into a four-shot lead after a sparkling front nine holes on Sunday before fading like U.S. defending champion Schauffele.
Fleetwood stayed in contention until the end but a bogey on the 17th hole left him a shot behind Scheffler and he was unable to birdie the last hole to force a playoff.
Home supporters were thrilled with a final-day surge by Victor Perez, who hit the second-best final round to end at 16 under in fourth place.
That capped off a proud week in which the Frenchman was given the honour of hitting the first shot of the competition on Thursday.
The tight race for the podium will have heightened the appeal of golf in the Olympics after a gripping climax in Tokyo that followed the sport's return to the Games in Rio after a century-long absence.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; editing by Clare Fallon)
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