With the Olympics men’s competition beginning later in the week, there has been some debate over where winning the gold medal would rank compared to a Major.
One element working against Olympics golf is its lack of history compared to the Majors, with it only returning to the Games in 2016 after a hiatus of 112 years. However, one player who thinks winning gold could even surpass a Major title is Matthieu Pavon.
Pavon, who will be representing host nation France when the tournament begins on Thursday, admitted to the media that the relative lack of history of Olympics golf compared to the Majors meant he considered winning gold a lesser achievement before this week, but not anymore.
He said: “The thing is, I always felt like Major for golf is more important because we have not really grown up with the Olympics. Golf came back in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio. So that was a different feeling first I had.
“And after a few days on the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we spent the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a Major for me.”
Victor Perez, who will take the opening tee shot, will line up for France at the tournament as well, and he admitted the Opening Ceremony had also affected his opinion on the importance of the gold medal.
He said: “It wasn’t really on the radar when we were kids when your first dreams are made. Obviously seeing how much people obviously care and the fans, I was just shocked at how many people came to the ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony helped convince Victor Perez of the importance of an Olympics golf gold medal
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“It was raining like crazy and people were still cheering for us from balconies overlooking the Seine in Paris. Definitely it meant a lot and enhanced the feel and the wanting for the gold medal for sure.”
As for Pavon, he will likely feel confident of taking the top prize. As well as the backing of the home fans, the 31-year-old is enjoying a solid season, which included victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and fifth at the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship.
Matthieu Pavon won the Farmers Insurance Open in January
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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