Juvic Pagunsan ended his Olympic debut after going in the red in the final round, ending up with a 1-over 285 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on Sunday.
The 43-year-old was heading into a flawless backside, but miscalculated on the final hole. He eventually finished it off with an extra shot.
Pagunsan earlier showed promise with back-to-back birdies of Nos. 5 and 6, even as that fifth hole has troubled him the past few days. This after he had a bogey-and-birdie combo off the second and third holes.
The 2021 Mizuno Open champion was off to a rousing start in the tournament with a 5-under 66 following 18 holes to get to a share of fifth place. However, his second and especially that third round pushed him down the rankings.
USA’s Alexander Schauffele, the clubhouse leader after three rounds, preserved his lofty position to take the gold medal in dramatic fashion. The field was slowly closing in, so the American pulled off a birdie in No. 17 to give himself the leeway that ultimately clinched him the gold.
Slovakian Rory Sabbatini came up with a round-best 10-under to come out of nowhere to snag the silver, just a stroke off Schauffele. He then left seven golfers to fight for the bronze as of this writing.
The women’s competition, featuring world no. 8 Yuka Saso and 30th Southeast Asian Games champion Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines, starts on August 4.
