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Paul Casey at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (Image: Getty)
The agony of just missing out on an Olympic medal reduced a Team GB golfer to tears. Despite being a sport awash with money, especially since the rise of LIV Golf, the allure of representing one’s country at the Olympics remains irresistible for the world’s top golfers.
That was evidenced by the high-calibre field for the men’s stroke play event at Paris 2024, where Scottie Scheffler took gold. This sentiment was equally potent during the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, where Paul Casey flew the flag for Team GB with pride.
The European Ryder Cup veteran was a strong contender for a medal, entering a tense play-off for bronze. However, Casey’s hopes were dashed when he bogeyed the first extra hole, with Xander Schauffele claiming for the USA, Rory Sabbatini securing silver for Slovakia and Pan Cheng-tsung snatching bronze.
Despite the heartbreak, the experience was still profoundly moving for Casey, 47, who, speaking to talkSPORT, expressed his immense pride: “For me, my experience in Japan was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.
“And it was a very humbling experience at the same time. Every time I get to put on the Union Jack and represent Great Britain, I couldn’t be more proud.
“I got a real taste of what it’s like. For that near miss, you know, it was a hard week. Technically I finished tied third and then lost in a play-off for a bronze medal. So I finished fourth overall.
“It brought me to tears. But I couldn’t have been prouder of what I attempted. To say I’m an Olympian is something that will live with me forever and it’s something I’m immensely proud of.”
Paul Casey (right) and Tokyo Olympic champion Xander Schauffele (left) (Image: Getty)
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Casey admits that while he has regular opportunities to win big tournaments every year, the Olympics is the pinnacle of four years of dedication for most athletes. He added: “You hear all these positive stories and walking around the village, you see the athletes, the Tom Daleys with their gold medals.
“But in a weird way, there’s also a lot of sort of disappointments and sometimes sadness and broken dreams that you get to witness in a village.
“You know, in a sport like mine, I’ve got an opportunity almost every week to do something great and stand on a podium and lift a trophy. But for most of these athletes, they don’t have that. This is their one time and I got a real taste of that.”
Team GB did secure a golf medal during this year’s men’s tournament as Tommy Fleetwood clinched silver behind world No.1 Scheffler while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama claimed the bronze.
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