Just one more day to go for golf to see its first champ at the Paris Olympics. Curiosity then naturally arises: will Xander Schauffele be able to emerge victorious once again, just like he did at the Tokyo Games, or will it be someone else? Maybe Scottie Scheffler? Regardless of the result, one thing is certain: The top three athletes will be awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. But is that all they will get for the scintillating performance?

The International Olympic Committee themselves do not offer any prize purses for the men’s and women’s golfing events nor do they do so for any other sports. However, the countries, including the U.S.A., do reward their medalists with bonuses. And when it comes to Schauffele and Scheffler, they will also receive a handsome payout if one of them emerges victorious on the circuit.

As per a report compiled and shared by CNBC, the United States offers a considerable amount as a reward for clinching a podium finish at the quadrennial games. The country offers $38,000 to the golfer claiming the gold medal, $23,000 to the silver medalist, and a sum of $15,000 to the bronze medal winner.

The American duo, meanwhile, are well set on clinching a medal for themselves at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Xander Schauffele is tied for the top spot with Spaniard and LIV Golf Pro Jon Rahm with a score of 14-under. The American carded scores of 65-66-68 over the three days of play, owing to the 16 birdies, four bogeys, and an eagle, the last of which came at par-5, 14th on Round 3.

Scottie Scheffler, on the other hand, occupies the 6th spot on the leaderboard with a score of 10-under. The current world No. 1 is tied at T6 with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Thomas Detry, and Tom Kim, all thanks to his registering a score of 67-69-67 over the three rounds. He did so by dishing out 14 birdies, 2 bogeys, and a double bogey. Although the two were able to put up a good performance since day 1, they weren’t in the least bit proud of it.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele’s humble yet dominant performance

“It wasn’t the dream stripee start that you envision as a golfer,” divulged Schauffele while alluding to his first round at Le Golf National, “but I was happy to ride the ship in and get away with worse.” Scheffler, in the meantime, also made a similar admission: “I felt like I could have posted a better number, but I did a lot of really good things and I hope I can continue that over the coming days.”

The 2024 PGA Championship winner had apparently carded seven birdies on the first day but was only able to finish the round with a bogey on the penultimate par-4, 17th hole. Moreover, Schauffele, alongside his partners Rahm and Viktor Hovland, could only complete the final par-4,18th, at the 7,174-yard course after a short delay due to suspended play. Come Sunday, and he will surely hope to perform even better at the 2018 Ryder Cup grounds. But what do you think? Will the 2024 Open Championship winner take the gold medal or will Scottie Scheffler overtake him to clinch it?