John Rahm had an Olympic gold medal practically secured on Sunday, playing his best since winning the Masters a year ago and appearing poised to end his challenging year with a remarkable achievement.

However, to everyone’s surprise, he left Le Golf National with nothing but regret.

After his sixth birdie of the round and fifth consecutive one-putt green on the 10th hole, Rahm was four shots ahead of Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, with Scottie Scheffler trailing by six shots and barely in his rearview mirror.

But then, an unforeseen collapse occurred.

Rahm missed a meaningless par putt on the final hole, resulting in a 39 on the back nine. This setback left him two shots away from winning a bronze medal and four shots behind gold medalist Scheffler.

<span;>Rahm expressed his disappointment, saying, “Not only do I feel like I let myself down, but failing to deliver for the entire country of Spain makes it even more painful than I anticipated.”

<span;>He added, “By losing today, I am gaining a deeper appreciation for the significance of this tournament. Representing Spain in various events has been a great honor, and falling short in this one stings quite a bit.