Hideki Matsuyama hits his tee shot from the 8th hole during the second round of the men’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics on Friday in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
11:19 JST, August 3, 2024
GUYANCOURT, France (Reuters) – Xander Schauffele remained in contention for a second straight Olympic gold medal as the American finished the second day of the men’s golf competition as joint leader, untouched by a brush with an anthill.
Schauffele shot a 66 (five under par) in his second round, putting him on 11 under par. This put him on a par with Japanese Hideki Matsuyama and Briton Tommy Fleetwood, who recalled his previous successes at Le Golf National near Paris.
The high-performing Schauffele won the British Open last month, claiming his second major title this year.
If you hit a bad shot, it’s easier to accept that because you know you’re playing really good golf and you can make up for it somewhere else, he told reporters.
When he discovered the rough on the 13th fairway, he found his ball lying on an anthill. He sought advice from tournament officials before hitting it out and making bogey.
I’ve had problems with burrowing animals before, but not with an anthill that you can’t move, he said.
The 60 competitors will all play four rounds in a stroke play format at the venue that hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Matsuyama suffered his first dropped strokes of the competition after an impeccable opening round, which included a double bogey on the final hole after finding water, which cost him an outright clubhouse lead.
However, the top-ranked Asian players remained in the race after narrowly missing out on bronze on home soil three years ago.
Fleetwood played with Hideki and also lost a stroke on the 18th hole, but recorded a round of seven under par, including an eagle on the third hole.
Spaniard Jon Rahm, like Matsuyama a former Masters winner, was fourth on the scoreboard at nine under par.
Thomas Detry had the best score of the second round, equaling Matsuyama’s opening day score with an eight-under 63, which put the Belgian in a shared fifth place.
Further back, world number one Scottie Scheffler, who won his second Masters Green Jacket this year, was tied for 10th at six under par, with his partner Rory McIlroy of Ireland a stroke behind.
France had a mixed day, with the country’s number one, Matthieu Pavon, dropping to four over par, while Victor Perez remained close to the leader at five under par.
