Olympics 2024: There might be three tied at the top, but it feels like maybe only one is in the zone

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — There are only three positions that matter in the Olympics, and after 36 holes there are three of the game’s top players stride for stride at the top of the board, two clear of the field. But here’s the thing: All of them walked off Le Golf National Friday feeling less than satisfied and more than a little uncomfortable.

Xander Schauffele, for what it’s worth the defending Olympic champion, Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood each finished at 11 under par for 36 holes to share the halfway lead in the race for the medal stand. While each man is ranked in the top 15 in the world (Schauffele at No. 2, Matsuyama at No. 12 and Fleetwood at No. 15), each struggled to get to the house. Schauffele felt he didn’t take advantage of opportunities in his second-round 66; Matsuyama made a mess of 18 and finished with a double bogey that brought the rest of the field back into contention; and even Fleetwood, who finished with 10 birdies and one eagle on his way to a 7-under 64, had to scramble for a closing bogey.

There were deep breaths all around after signing their scorecards. Schauffele, who teed off in the morning, finished first and felt the winds, while mild, still kept him from being as aggressive as he wanted to be. He only hit nine of 14 fairways in his seven-birdie, two-bogey round.

“I was sloppy on certain holes where I should be giving myself birdie looks,” he said, noting that he wishes all parts of his game were sharper. “I'm pretty nitpicky. But like I said, it's a positioning battle coming out of that final stretch and all you're trying to do is give yourself a chance on that back nine.”

The back nine, particularly the final four holes that feature water everywhere you look other than the long uphill 17th, has played slightly more difficult than the front. And holes 15, 16 and 18 each have played over par so far.

Fleetwood, who shot the low number of the leaders with a second-round 64, finds himself in unfamiliar territory in the lead after 36 holes. His post-round words make it sound like he’s holding on tight at this point.

“I haven't felt particularly comfortable with my swing all week,” he said. “But I've been doing the things that I know are right and I've put the ball in play a lot and I've been doing the right things, and I think gradually as you keep hitting enough good shots, obviously you build confidence and you keep drawing on those feelings.”

Fleetwood is the only one of the three with experience at Le Golf National, having won the French Open in 2017 and been the second leading point-earner on the European side in its Ryder Cup victory in 2018. “Look, whatever happened six years ago has no effect on what is going to happen tomorrow afternoon but you're always better off coming to a course where you have good feelings and good things have happened," he said. "So I'll definitely draw on those. But, again, I have to stand up there and hit the golf shots. Nothing that's happened in the past is going to do it for me.”

Matsuyama, meanwhile, seemed the most in command and the one who lost the most at the end. Leading at 13-under, he sprayed a drive into the right gunch on 18, advanced his third to a slightly better lie in the rough before failing to carry the water with his third. He holed a 12-footer for double. His eyes seemed wide with that odd mix of frustration and relief that golfers know all too well. It made life easier that he leads the field for the week in Strokes Gained: Putting, picking up over five strokes on the field.

“It was a sad ending, but I'm glad that today was only the second day,” he said. “I think it means I need to change my mindset for the third day.

“It's a tough competition. I see some difficult challenges, of course, but I want to overcome those difficulties and I want to enjoy the final day. When it's going harder, it's way difficult, blowing harder; the wind, it's way more difficult. So I have to handle the conditions better tomorrow and in the final round.”

Schauffele remains golf’s hottest man, and he probably produced his most consistent golf, navigating the worst moments with up-and-downs and clutch par-saving putts, including a two-putt from 62 feet on 15 and a closing seven-footer for par. The five-under round was the 18th time he’s shot 66 or better, including seven of his last 14 rounds. Through 36 holes, he is fourth in strokes gained/approach, second around the green and 12th in putting. He doesn’t feel like winning is rote, but he seems in command of what he’s getting out of his game.

“When you're in good form, all of us know that it's all about just making the correct decision and executing the shot and rinse-and-repeating that process,” he said. “So don't let too much try to bother you, and if you do hit bad shots, it's easier to accept it because you know you're playing really good golf and you can make it up somewhere else. In that sort of zone, I guess.”