Matt Fitzpatrick, who dropped from the 8th position in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of 2023 to his current rank of 22, pulled out from the 2024 Olympics shortly after recording a score of 81 in the third round of play on Saturday.
Here is the official statement from the International Golf Federation:
Prior to the event at Le Golf National, Fitzpatrick had mentioned his enjoyment of the festivities. However, the Englishman also acknowledged that achieving a high placement in the Games was not a significant accomplishment for him. As the winner of the 2022 U.S. Open, he has achieved four top-10 finishes in major events, including two at the Masters.
More: Information on the 2024 Olympics, How to watch, Men’s field, Women’s field.
“The Gold Medal is not the ultimate goal for every golfer; the four majors hold that distinction. There is no doubt about that,” Fitzpatrick stated before the tournament. “However, I would certainly rank it below the majors. I believe that prior to arriving here and experiencing the Olympics firsthand, one tends to underestimate its magnitude. But once you are here and witness the significance of the entire event and how much it means to others, not just as an athlete and golfer, you realize that winning a Gold Medal would be a truly special achievement.
“So yes, I definitely have the desire to win one. I would say it holds a higher position on the priority list than I had initially anticipated while growing up.”
Fitzpatrick began the tournament with a score of 73 and followed it up with a second-round score of 64. However, he encountered a quadruple bogey on the 15th hole on Saturday, contributing to a total of 42 strokes on the back nine.
Photo by Matt Fitzpatrick Instagram
