Olympics
Olympics 2024: Le Golf National's diabolical final two holes will play huge part in medal race
Hideki Matsuyama putts in front of a large crowd at Le Golf National's 17th green.
Keyur Khamar
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — There are plenty of things in life scarier than the final two holes on the Albatros course at Le Golf National. Being buried alive. Spiders. Public speaking. An IRS audit. And clowns, for God’s sake, clowns.
But you best add playing 17 and 18 here with a one-shot lead. Personally, much of the field here at the Olympics might choose being buried alive with spiders by clowns instead of playing those two holes. That’s just how hard they’ve been, and it doesn’t take golf mathematician Mark Broadie to tell you those two holes will decide who gets the gold medal and who leaves the property suitably terrified.
“They are really good finishing holes,” said third-round co-leader Xander Schauffele. “It's going to make for an exciting finish to this Olympics, no doubt.”
That’s code for he’d rather have his wisdom teeth pulled than play those holes with something on the line. Fortunately, Schauffele is that rare player in the 60-man field who’s played the final two holes with only one bogey.
For the week, the 17th and 18th are the two hardest par fours and only the treacherous par-3 second is a click tougher than the 17th. Here are facts: Combined, the 17th and 18th holes have notched 119 scores of bogey or worse. That’s more than double of any other two-hole stretch, other than the water-strewn first two holes. Even then, that start plays half-a-stroke easier than the finish.
The 17th, which is known as “Le Verdict,” seems as straightforward as a sledgehammer to your windshield. No bunkers, no water, it’s nearly unplayable if you miss the fairway. There have only been two birdies from the rough all week, and one came on Saturday when co-leader Jon Rahm made a 36-footer.
The 18th, named “The Crowd” since all of Paris can line the stadium mounds and grandstands to watch the carnage, is like that final exam nightmare where your pencil breaks. With water all down the left side and in front of the green, and a diabolical collection of bunkers on the right side landing area, it doesn’t seem like there’s a fairway until you find it, presumably accidentally.
That’s why there have been 26 double bogeys or worse recorded so far this week, a substantial number from the middle of that fairway you’ve unexpectedly found. That’s nearly half the total number of double bogeys or worse recorded for the entire course. On one hole, the last one you play.
They say the course was designed by Robert von Hagge and some French guy. Must have been Jean Paul Sartre. You know, the existentialist downer (“hell is other people”) whose most famous work is No Exit. That’s how the 18th hole has played, like hell with a whole lot of other people watching.
“Those holes can be birdies or a few double bogeys,” said Nicolai Hojgaard. This is from a guy who just shot 62. Fun.
So don’t switch over to rhythmic gymnastics or the 400 hurdles if someone’s got a lead playing the finishing two holes. Anything could happen. Even better, should things finish in a tie for gold, silver or bronze, what hole will start the playoff? 18, of course.
Sudden death, indeed.