Matthieu Pavon is one in all two males’s golfers representing France on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Pictures
One of many massive storylines heading into the lads’s occasion on the 2024 Paris Olympics is the place a gold medal would rank when it comes to profession accomplishments. All of the Tour professionals have been requested the query, and most have responded with some type of “I don’t know.” French professional Matthieu Pavon had a a lot totally different reply.
Whereas many gamers have confirmed to be downright giddy to be competing at Le Golf Nationwide, a stark distinction to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic golf occasions, in addition they have routinely admitted that as golfers they didn’t develop up with the aim of profitable gold medals. As an alternative, it was main championship victories that stuffed their childhood desires.
Pavon’s Olympic teammate this week, Victor Perez, struck the same tone of their joint Olympic press convention this week.
“It’s actually troublesome to say,” Perez started on the significance of the Olympics. “We don’t develop up just like the observe and subject and fencing and dreaming of a Gold Medal. It wasn’t actually on the radar once we have been children when your first desires are made.”
Nonetheless, he additionally admitted that experiencing the Opening Ceremony in Paris earlier within the week, the place hundreds of fellow French followers cheered on the athletes, modified his perspective on the occasion.
“Clearly seeing how a lot folks clearly care and the followers, I used to be simply shocked at how many individuals got here to the ceremony,” Perez stated. “It was raining like loopy and folks have been nonetheless cheering for us from balconies overlooking the Seine in Paris. Undoubtedly it meant lots and enhanced the texture and the wanting for the Gold Medal for certain.”
As for Pavon, he revealed that he had his eye on making the French Olympic staff all yr lengthy, a aim he nearly completed in February when he gained his first PGA Tour occasion, the Farmers Insurance coverage Open at Torrey Pines.
Olympic golfer sounds off on ‘politics’ maintaining greatest LIV professionals from Paris 2024
“It was one of many objectives this yr nevertheless it actually began in January. It was one thing I wished to realize earlier than that,” Pavon defined. “Qualifying for the PGA Tour was my first aim. Then gained the event in Torrey and impulsively you’re within the combine and put ahead and also you’re virtually assured to be within the staff. From that second that I actually realized and that sort of dream change into actually a aim that I needed to put together for.”
And whereas Pavon admitted that main championships appeared extra necessary to him heading into the week, the fanfare round his house nation’s Olympic Video games remodeled his view, and he now sees profitable a gold medal this week as an even bigger accomplishment than profitable a significant.
“The factor is, I at all times felt like main for golf is extra necessary as a result of now we have probably not grown up with the Olympics,” Pavon stated in his press convention. “After a couple of days within the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in entrance of the Eiffel Tower and all the nice moments we spent the previous few days, it actually looks like a Gold Medal can be now ranked increased than a significant for me.”
Pavon and Perez will start their quests to say {golfing} gold for France on Thursday. Perez heads out within the opening grouping at 3 a.m. ET, with Pavon teeing off at 6:06 a.m. ET. Golf Channel will air dwell protection of the opening spherical starting Thursday morning at 3 a.m. ET.
