Jon Rahm was told his back-nine collapse in the final round of the Olympics is "one of the biggest chokes of the year" and compared to Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open .
Rahm led through three rounds, and the Spaniard opened up a four-shot lead with just nine holes to play following a scintillating front-nine 31. However, he struggled down the stretch to shoot an even 70 and open the door for world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to snatch gold.
Scheffler rallied from six shots back to win , making birdies on four of his final five holes en route to a bogey-free 62. The American clinched victory by a single stroke over Team GB’s Tommy Fleetwood , while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama rounded out the podium two shots back.
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Rahm ultimately missed out on a medal as he shot 15-under at Le Golf National - four shots behind Scheffler. NBC Sports analyst Brandel Chamblee pulled no punches when giving his take on Rahm’s performance.
“That was just about the wildest back nine that you could ever imagine, ever predict,” Chamblee said. “Jon Rahm with a four-shot lead in the gold position, Scottie Scheffler was six back making the turn from the gold medal position and wins gold without a playoff. One shoots 29, Jon Rahm shoots 39.
“I’m gonna put that down as one of the biggest collapses, chokes of the year. Right up there with Rory McIlroy coming down the stretch at the U.S. Open.”
Chamblee likened Rahm’s performance to McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 in June. The Northern Irishman led by two shots with five holes remaining before agonizingly missing two short putts in a three-bogey run that opened the door for Bryson DeChambeau , who produced a moment of magic at 18 to win.
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Rahm carded two bogeys and a double between holes 11 and 14. He birdied the par-3 16th, but back-to-back birdies derailed his challenge. Chamblee added: “Jon Rahm looked so solid the first three-and-a-half rounds, leading the field in fairways hit, leading the field in driving distance, leading the field in greens in regulation.
“But the demon that has plagued him over the last about year is that double cross. And we saw it a little bit at the 8th, but it visited him notably on the back nine in several key instances. And then of course, you have the odd three-putt here or there. So, losing a four-shot lead, not even medaling, by the way, with a four-shot lead.”
Rahm stayed positive despite failing to medal even after three exceptional rounds. He said: “For about 97 percent of the week has been fantastic. The crowd has been great. The week has been great. The golf course is fantastic and it’s just a, there’s basically a four-hole stretch where I could say I wasn’t happy.
“Besides that, it’s been a really good tournament. There’s still a lot to be proud of, but this is something that’s gonna sting for a while.”
If Rahm qualifies for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the LIV Golf star will pursue a medal at Riviera - the course where he won the 2023 Genesis Invitational before making his switch to LIV Golf .
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