Home Hero Matthieu Pavon Admits He's Changed His Mind On Olympics vs Majors Debate
The France player is convinced victory in the men's Olympics golf tournament is one of the biggest achievements in the game
![Matthieu Pavon takes a tee shot during an Olympics practice round](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8vF5EakeaVvBSXEXXyYQDD-415-80.jpg)
With the Olympics men’s competition beginning later in the week, there has been some debate over where winning the gold medal would rank compared to a Major.
One element working against Olympics golf is its lack of history compared to the Majors, with it only returning to the Games in 2016 after a hiatus of 112 years. However, one player who thinks winning gold could even surpass a Major title is Matthieu Pavon.
Pavon, who will be representing host nation France when the tournament begins on Thursday, admitted to the media that the relative lack of history of Olympics golf compared to the Majors meant he considered winning gold a lesser achievement before this week, but not anymore.
He said: “The thing is, I always felt like Major for golf is more important because we have not really grown up with the Olympics. Golf came back in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio. So that was a different feeling first I had.
“And after a few days on the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we spent the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a Major for me.”
Victor Perez, who will take the opening tee shot, will line up for France at the tournament as well, and he admitted the Opening Ceremony had also affected his opinion on the importance of the gold medal.
He said: “It wasn't really on the radar when we were kids when your first dreams are made. Obviously seeing how much people obviously care and the fans, I was just shocked at how many people came to the ceremony.
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The Opening Ceremony helped convince Victor Perez of the importance of an Olympics golf gold medal
"It was raining like crazy and people were still cheering for us from balconies overlooking the Seine in Paris. Definitely it meant a lot and enhanced the feel and the wanting for the gold medal for sure.”
As for Pavon, he will likely feel confident of taking the top prize. As well as the backing of the home fans, the 31-year-old is enjoying a solid season, which included victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and fifth at the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship.
Matthieu Pavon won the Farmers Insurance Open in January
He admitted the chance to compete at the Games really came to the fore at the start of the year. “It was one of the goals this year but it really started in January," he revealed. "It was something I wanted to achieve before that. When we started putting some points to qualify, it wasn't that big in my mind. I was feeling I had steps to do before qualifying for the Olympics, and this is what I did.
“Qualifying for the PGA Tour was my first goal. Then won the tournament in Torrey and all of a sudden you're in the mix and put forward and you're almost guaranteed to be in the team. From that moment that I really realized and that kind of dream become really a goal that I had to prepare for.”
Pavon’s comments on the importance of winning gold echo those of Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who, the day after playing a round at the Old Course at St Andrews in preparation for the Games, said winning gold could be his biggest achievement since claiming his fourth and most recent Major in 2014.
The 35-year-old said: "It would be the achievement, certainly of the year, if not - I think for me, it's well documented that I haven't won one of the 'Big Four' in 10 years. It would probably be one if, if not the biggest in my career for the last ten years."
The men’s tournament runs from 1 to 4 August.
Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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