Who Are The Favourites To Win Medals At The Olympic Men’s Golf Tournament?

We are in store for a cracking final day at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Take a look at who the medal contenders are here.

Who Are The Favourites To Win Medals At The Olympic Men’s Golf Tournament?

Team USA’s Xander Schauffele will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the Olympics, where 15 players are within six shots of the lead.

Among those players, we have current and former Major champions, as well as PGA and European Tour winners.

Take a look at the leading nations and players below.

USA

Coming into the event, all four players of Team USA were ranked among the favourites. That decision seems to be justified as world number five Xander Schauffele sits top of the leaderboard.

The 27-year-old has produced rounds of 68, 63 and 68 for a 14-under-par tournament total and one shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama.

Related: Xander Schauffele Takes Slim Lead Into Final Round Of Olympics

Schauffele, who hasn’t won an event since January 2019, has come close to victory on multiple occasions this season, with seven top-10’s, including three runner-up finishes.

Schauffele is looking for his first victory since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Now leading at the Olympics, it’s a certainty that he will be contending for a medal on Sunday.

Although an American is leading the event, his teammates have struggled, with recent Champion Golfer of the Year, Collin Morikawa, the next best American in T17th.

Currently sitting seven back from the leader, the 24-year-old is three clear of his other two countrymen, Patrick Reed and Justin Thomas, who are both at four-under-par.

Japan

The host nation have put their gold medal hopes on Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, with the 29-year-old delivering to currently sit in the silver medal position.

Coming into the event, Matsuyama said: “If I said there’s no pressure I would be lying, so hopefully I’ll be able to embrace the pressure that’s upon me and just try to put together a nice tournament here.”

After a first round 69 put him six shots off the pace, the Japanese star recovered superbly, shooting a seven-under-par second round, before a third round 67 put him at 13-under for the event.

Despite recovering from Covid only a matter of weeks ago, Matsuyama has played superbly and should be given a huge amount of credit and respect for how he has dealt with the pressure. Hopefully he can complete the dream of winning a gold medal for Japan in his home country.

GB

Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood delivered a strong showing during the third round to sit comfortably inside the top-10 going into the final day.

Casey, who is currently in the bronze medal position alongside Carlos Ortiz, has produced rounds of 67, 68 and 66 to sit two strokes back from Schauffele.

The Team GB athlete already has one victory this season, coming at the Dubai Desert Classic, and will be hoping to add a gold medal to his already stacked trophy cabinet.

Casey will looking to add yet another medal to Team GB’s tally. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Fleetwood, on the other hand, looked to be too far back to spring a challenge going into the weekend. That was until he produced nine birdies for a seven-under-par 64.

Catapulting 15 places up the leaderboard, he now sits two shots back off the bronze medal position and four back from the leader.

Ireland

Another duo with a chance of an Olympic medal is Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who are currently placed inside the top-10.

McIlroy, who revealed earlier in the tournament that he was “already looking forward” to the Paris Olympics, produced a third round 67 to sit at 11-under-par.

McIlroy and Lowry shake hands handshake on the 18th green after the third round. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

His playing partner, and fellow Ireland athlete, Lowry, is just one shot back of McIlroy at 10-under-par, with the 34-year-old in some great form after a T12 finish at The Open Championship a fortnight ago.

Mexico

Carlos Ortiz will be looking to secure Mexico’s first gold medal of the 2020 Olympics as he sits two back of the lead and in a tie for bronze with Casey.

Ortiz’s won the 2020 Houston Open. Becoming just the third Mexican winner on the PGA Tour. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

The former PGA Tour winner has been steady throughout the tournament, staying inside the top-10 since the very first round.

With Mexico already securing two bronzes at the Olympics (Archery and Diving), the 30-year-old will hope to add his name to the history books, and secure a medal for his country.

Related: Olympic Golf Men’s Tee Times; Final Round

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