2024 Summer Olympics: Men’s Round 2 golf winners and losers, including Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood had a strong day, shooting among the best of the second round with a 7-under 64. Fleetwood, who is now tied atop the leaderboard, made his first bogey of the tournament on the 18^th hole. However, that came after he shot a bogey-free 5-under 31 on the front nine.

His front nine was highlighted by making a 46-foot eagle putt on the par-5 third. He immediately followed that by making three birdies in a four-hole span. That was followed by making a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-4 seventh. That strong putting led to 2.483 strokes gained, which came after he had 0.531 strokes gained putting yesterday.

Also read: The 10 biggest winners and losers from the opening round of the 2024 Summer Olympics

Hideki Matsuyama, who entered Friday with a two-shot lead, had an opportunity to maintain it, if not grow it. However, he went in the other direction. Shooting 3-under 68 to be tied atop the leaderboard at 11-under par.

Matsuyama was looking good on the back nine, with four birdies and four pars. However, he had a bad 18th hole to surrender the individual lead. His drive went right into the tall fescue. After getting out to the rough, his next shot was short of the green and went into the water. That resulted in a double bogey to drop down to 11-under.

Also tied with Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama is Xander Schauffele. Schauffele shot a 5-under 66 to reach 11-under par halfway through. Schauffele, who finished before Fleetwood and Matsuyama, made a bogey on the par-3 second to begin his day.

However, he was able to respond by reeling off three straight birdies. That also included a birdie on the par-5 ninth, which was part of a second three-birdie stretch. That included birdies on the par-4 10^th and the par-3 11^th. Those were two holes Schauffele did not score birdies on yesterday.

Also read: The 10 golfers with the best chance to win a gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics

Jon Rahm had the chance to play in Tokyo in 2021 but was unable due to testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, he has been hoping to take advantage this year in Paris. After a 4-under 67 on Thursday, he shot a 5-under 66 on Friday and was two strokes back. Rahm made three straight birdies on holes No. 2-4, including making a 30-foot putt on the second.

Despite his lone bogey of the day on the eighth, Rahm made his second three-birdie stretch on holes No. 14-16 to finish his round strong. Finishing strong included saving par from 21 feet out to avoid a bogey or worse on the last.

Despite playing on home soil in the 2024 Olympics, for Matthieu Pavon, the play on the course did not go his way. On a day when the course was playing about 1-under par, Pavon shot 4-over 75 after an even par round on Thursday. Pavon was 3-over through eight before a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

He made three more bogeys and a birdie on the front nine to push him back on the leaderboard entering the weekend.

Related: World Golf Rankings: Breaking down the top 15 and where Jon Rahm stands prior to the 2024 Summer Olympics

Thomas Detry had one of the best days in Friday’s second round at the 2024 Olympics. Detry shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 after an even par round Thursday. After making three straight bogeys to begin his first round yesterday, he made birdies on the first and third holes.

That helped get his day off to a better start. He then made three consecutive birdies on holes No. 5-7 to get him up to 5-under on the day through seven holes. Then on the back nine, Detry made three birdies in a four-hole stretch, highlighted by making a 55-foot putt on the par-4 12^th.

Like Matsuyama, Joaquin Niemann also would have liked to have played better. After being tied for third at 5-under par, Niemann shot just 1-under par on Friday and was tied for 10^th. On an afternoon when players are shooting low, shooting just 1-under par is not going to help.

Despite an opening birdie, he shot even par the rest of the way. That included two bogeys on the 10^th and the 18^th to match two birdies on the 11^th and the 14^th. On the 18^th, Niemann’s second shot went into the water after his drive went into the rough, as a result of the bogey.

Also read: 2024 Summer Olympics Men’s Golf FAQ: Everything You Need to Know

After being a loser yesterday by shooting 2-over par, Matt Fitzpatrick turned things around, shooting a bogey-free 7-under 64. He made birdies on the opening hole as well as the final two holes on the front nine. Fitzpatrick made four birdies in a six-hole stretch, including back-to-back on the par-3 16^th and the par-4 17^th. Fitzpatrick had one of just 10 birdies on the 17^th hole as it was one of the hardest holes Friday.

Viktor Hovland has been hoping to find something since his top-5 finish at the PGA Championship a couple of months ago. However, that underperforming stretch continued. After an even par 71 Thursday, Hovland did not get off to the right start Friday with a triple bogey on the par-4 first.

Despite making a birdie on the third hole, he followed that up by making three bogeys on the ensuing four holes. That led to shooting a 4-over 75 in Friday’s second round of the 2024 Summer Olympics to push Hovland back to being tied for 54^th heading into the weekend.

Related: 2024 Summer Olympics men’s golf TV schedule, including when Matt Fitzpatrick is playing tomorrow

Like Detry, Stephan Jaeger also had a strong day after shooting even par in the first round. Jaeger, who is representing Team Germany along with Detry, shot a 7-under 64 to move up 34 spots into the top 10. Jaeger shot a bogey-free 5-under 31 to begin his round, including making an eagle on the par-5 third.

His biggest improvements from the first round were in his play off the tee, on the approach, and the greens. He went from -.204 strokes gained off the tee to 1.692 Friday. He also went from 0.384 strokes gained approach Thursday to 2.458 today. Furthermore, Jaeger went from -2.175 strokes gained putting to a 1.782 mark on Friday. A three-stroke turnaround heading into the weekend.