For golf at the Tokyo Olympics, the four-day men's competition has ended prior to the women's.
Amid concerns about the new coronavirus, the athletes who gathered at the Tokyo Olympics fought to the end with the pride of being representatives of their respective countries and regions and the honor of winning medals.
Golf has returned to the Olympic Games for the first time in 112 years at the last Rio de Janeiro Games.
The four-day hot battle of the boys has come to an end.
Hideki Matsuyama, who won the overseas major "Masters Tournament" this year and was expected to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games held in his home country.
On the final day when he came out of 2nd place where he could aim for the gold medal, he showed a good fight close to 1 stroke to the lead, but the putt was not decided at the point of the game, and he lost to the playoffs competing for the bronze medal and finished 4th.
Is it a big pressure to hold in your home country?
There is a scene that left an impression on me in the interview after the end.
When he said thank you to the people around him, "I wanted to live up to the expectations of those who supported me," Matsuyama's voice seemed to rise for a moment and his emotions seemed to rise.
I had the opportunity to interview many times from the practice round, and it was the moment when Matsuyama, who did not change his facial expression no matter what question he asked, revealed his true feelings for the first time.
For Matsuyama, who is accustomed to fighting on the big stage, I felt that the first Olympic stage and the four days of holding it in his home country were also a fight against heavy pressure.
McIlroy Participated in Irish uniform
And that feeling is the same for overseas players.
Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland, one of the top four-winning overseas majors, represented Ireland instead of England in his first Olympics.
It was impressive that McIlroy, who wore an Irish uniform, continued to play with a smile without wearing a hat until the end, saying that "the size does not fit" in the harsh environment of Japan's scorching sun.
"I've been fighting for Ireland for a long time. I thought golf was the most important sport for the whole island of Ireland," said McIlroy. ..
American Shuffle "For medals, not for money"
Then, American Zander Shafrey, who won the gold medal after the final day of the Great Melee, talked about the value of the Olympic medal at a press conference after the end.
"I was able to play for medals, not for money, and to demonstrate my performance. Each of the athletes in the Games is proud of their country. The Olympics are a mix of cultures. It's an international battle that fits. Gold medals are really special. "
The pride of being a representative Fighting for the honor of winning a medal
Golf, which is also a professional sport, has big titles that players aim for in addition to the Olympics, such as overseas majors, and some players give priority to tours that require large prizes and do not participate in the Olympics.
And there was an unexpected situation where multiple top players could not come to Japan due to the last corona infection.
Nevertheless, the athletes who gathered at the Tokyo Olympics fought to the end because of the pride of being representatives of each country and region and the honor of winning medals.
The players who played wonderfully on the stage where all over Japan and the world are paying attention to the battle. It was four days that I felt the value of the return of golf to the Olympics.