Strange reason Team GB silver medallist didn't win any prize money when both gold and bronze positions did
An Olympic golfer was left with no prize money despite finishing second in the event for one odd reason.
Tommy Fleetwood of Team GB earned a place on the podium, getting a silver medal in the men's golf event at the Paris Olympics, missing out on gold to world no.1, American Scottie Scheffler.
Behind them was Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who took bronze and narrowly missed out on a silver medal.
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Fleetwood managed an impressive result of five-under par 66 in his final round on Sunday (4 August) at Le Golf National, as Scheffler bettered the score with a nine-under 62 on day four meaning that he came out on top to add another victory to his resume.
Though the Brit had an opportunity to force a playoff against the 28-year-old, a drop-off at 17 meant that the 2024 Masters Tournament champion took home the gold, with the US still atop the Olympics medal tally.
It wasn't all doom and gloom for Fleetwood though, who held off Matsuyama by just one shot in what was nothing short of a nail-biting day in Paris.
For many athletes, the thrill of winning an Olympic medal comes with an added financial bonus, but that didn't apply to all of the podium finishers as one fell short.
Scheffler's added prize for winning gold for the US is $37,500 (£29,400), while Matsuyama was given a sum of £4,700 by Team Japan - a range in rewards - but they are rewards nonetheless.
However, Fleetwood is set to earn nothing from Team GB.
According to International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules, there is no requirement for there to be a prize pot, or a financial incentive for winners.
It's solely up to the nation themselves, who are free to give bonuses out for podium finishes, as Team USA and Japan both follow a bonus programme.
Team GB on the other hand, do not, though they do provide grants to athletes to pursue their sporting goals.
It means that Fleetwood is *only* left with his Olympic silver medal, which isn't half-bad, is it?
The 33-year-old was proud of his achievement, as he reflected after the event: "There's part of me that's disappointed, of course, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic medalist,
He added: "You know, I'm still unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went. I was proud of the way I played today. And yeah, I enjoyed it so much."
The golfer continued: "I take that away from it. This was an incredible atmosphere to play in front of this week and to be a part of. I haven't been in the mix that much recently, and I think being back there and playing well and feeling how I felt again, yeah, I enjoyed it so much and I'm unbelievably proud to be an Olympic medalist. I never thought that that would happen."
Gold medalist Scheffler continued with his outstanding performances so far this year, adding an Olympic gold to the six PGA Tour titles and Masters that he won this season.
He said: "I mean, it's emotional sitting there on the podium and hearing your National Anthem, it really is. It's been along week. It's been a challenging week.
"I played some great golf today, and I'm proud to be going home with a medal. There was a lot of talented guys in the field this week. These guys played tremendous golf and I think we should all be proud of the golf that we played this week."
Joshua Nair