Scottie Scheffler closes with 9-under 62 to win Olympics thriller at Le Golf National

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Scottie Scheffler delivered the best performance of his greatest year by rallying from four shots behind Sunday with a 9-under 62 to win the Olympics in a thriller at Le Golf National.

Already a six-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, including his second Masters, Scheffler added Olympic gold to an astonishing season with a round that kept some 30,000 fans on edge.

The world’s No. 1 player matched the course record at Le Golf National and he still needed plenty of help.

Jon Rahm of Spain had a four-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood of England when he stepped on the 11th tee. Fleetwood caught him in two holes as Rahm had a stunning collapse.

Scheffler who charged to the front with four straight birdies down the stretch, none bigger than gouging an 8-iron shot out of deep rough on the 17th hole and making the 18-foot birdie putt to take the lead. He set an Olympic record for 72 holes at 19-under 265.

Fleetwood was second after a 66, and Hideki Matsuyama took the bronze medal at 17 under after a 65. Rahm tied for sixth at 15 under after a 70.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Moriya Jutanugarn emerged from a tight pack at Columbia Edgewater to win the Portland Classic for her third career LPGA Tour title.

Three strokes behind leader Andrea Lee going into the round, Jutanugarn shot a 6-under 66 in mostly calm conditions for a two-stroke victory over three players.

Jutanugarn finished at 22-under 266, playing the first 71 holes without a bogey. The 30-year-old Thai player birdied Nos. 13-15 and made an 8-footer to save par on the par-3 16th. She made a short birdie putt on the par-4 17th and closed with a bogey.

Narin An (66), Nataliya Guseva (68) and Angel Yin (69) tied for second. Guseva is the first Russian player with an LPGA Tour card.

Jutanugarn also won the 2018 HUGEL-JTBC LA Open and 2021 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event with younger sister Ariya Jutanugarn. Ariya Jutanugarn, a 12-time LPGA Tour winner, closed with a 65 on Sunday to tie for ninth at 17 under.

FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) — Karl Vilips of Australia won the Utah Championship in his fourth Korn Ferry Tour start, finishing with a 5-under 66 for a two-stroke victory.

Vilips had a 25-under 259 total at Oakridge Country Club. The 22-year-old former Stanford player jumped to 44th to 15th in the season standings, with the final top 30 earning PGA Tour cards.

Joe Weiler (64) and Matt McCarty (68) tied for second, McCarty shot 61 on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Leta Lindley won the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel after finishing second the last two years, closing with a tournament-record 7-under 64 for a two-stroke victory.

The 52-year-old Lindley, birdied five of the first eight holes and added two more on the par-4 14th and 15th. She finished at 9-under 275, a record for total strokes in the event first played in 2018.

Kaori Yamamoto of Japan, five strokes ahead entering the round, birdied the final two holes in a 71 to finish second.

Ian Gilligan won the Western Amateur on Saturday by beating Florida teammate Jack Turner in 29 holes at Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio. The 11-hole playoff was the longest in the 125-year history of the Western Amateur. Gilligan and Turner each won semifinal matches in 19 holes. ... Barend Botha of South Africa won the BioSteel Championship for his second straight PGA Tour Americas victory. Botha shot 64-63-64-63 at Ambassador in Windsor, Ontario, to finish at 26-under 254. He won the Commissionaires Ottawa Open last week, also finishing at 26 under. John Keefer (62) and Matthew Anderson (64) were a stroke back. ... Robert Coles won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Trump International in Aberdeen, Scotland, for his first Legends Tour title. The Englishman shot a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory over local favorite Paul Lawrie (76). Coles finished at 4 under. Joakim Lagergren of Sweden won the Challenge Tour’s Irish Challenge at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland. He closed with a 4-under 68 to finish at 16-under 272 — a stroke ahead of France’s Sebastien Gros. ... Daniel von Tonder closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the FNB Eswatini Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Rio Takeda won the Japan LPGA’s Hokkaido Meiji Cup at Sapporo International. She birdied the par-4 18th for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke victory over Yui Kawamoto. ... Ina Yoon closed with a 2-under 70 and won the Jeju Sandasoo Masters by two shots on the Korea LPGA.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Gold medalist Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, centre, with Tommy Fleetwood, of Britain, silver medal, and Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, with the bronze medal pose for the media following the medal ceremony for men's golf at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Gold medalist Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, poses with his medal following the medal ceremony for men's golf during the medal ceremony at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, won the gold medal with Tommy Fleetwood, of Britain, silver and Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, the bronze.(AP Photo/Matt York)

Gold medalist Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, centre, with Tommy Fleetwood, of Britain, silver medal, left, and Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, with the bronze medal, listen to the nation anthem of the US during the medal ceremony for men's golf at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, smiles as he shakes hands with Thomas Detry, of Belgium's caddie after completing his round on the 18th green during the final round of the men's golf at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Bronze medalist Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, right take a smart phone picture on the podium of gold medalist Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, centre, and Tommy Fleetwood, of Britain, silver medal, as they pose for the media following the medal ceremony for men's golf at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. (AP Photo/Matt York)

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the nosebleed seats of a nearly-empty Baku Olympic stadium coated with a layer of dust, activists used a giant banner to beam the words “Pay Up” to the world.

The protest took weeks of thought and planning, but most of the attendees at this year's U.N. climate talks didn't see or hear it — except for maybe some in the COP29 presidency offices right below. The majority of the people involved in deciding the financial future of climate action at the talks remained in the sprawling venue, under white tarps with no windows.

It’s “really hard to make our demands heard,” said Bianca Castro, a climate activist from Portugal. She’s been to several COPs in the past and remembers years when there were thousands of protestors in the streets, and a multitude of strikes and actions throughout the event. But at the stadium's seats, they were told exactly where and when they could stand and chants were restricted. A United Nations climate change spokesperson said that the action was in a part of the venue that isn’t open to participants, and involved extensive dialogue among the participants, facility managers and health and safety officers.

Still, Castro said the difficulty of making an impact meant many are "losing hope in the in the process."

People involved in protests say they have felt a trend in recent years of stricter rules from the United Nations organizers with COPs being held in countries whose governments limit demonstrations and the participation of civil society. And some community spaces for prepping and organizing have had to resort to going underground because of security concerns. But the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change — who run the COPs — say the code of conduct that governs the conferences has not changed, nor has the way it's applied, and COP29 organizers say there's space across the venue for participants to “make their voices heard in line with the UNFCCC code of conduct and Azerbaijan law safely and without interference.”

Despite the challenges and what some see as a depressing mood, activists say it remains a critical time to speak up about the historical and present-day injustices that are in desperate need of money and attention.

It's especially true this year at a COP where the theme is finance, because voices from the Global South play a pivotal role in bringing ambitious demands to the negotiating table, said Rachitaa Gupta, who coordinates a global network of organizations advocating for climate justice. But she said that there have been more and more defamation rules each year that prohibit protestors from calling out specific countries or names.

“We do feel that the restrictions have reached a stage where it’s a constant battle on what we can say,” Gupta said. Activists can’t name specific countries, people or businesses in line with the UNFCCC’s code of conduct.

Meanwhile, across town in a downtown Baku building, activists paint, snip fabric and sculpt with cardboard and papier-mache in a quest for visually compelling symbols of climate action. The art space was once a place of community, where people came to pour their feelings into a creative outlet, said Amalen Sathananthar, coordinator at a collective called the Artivist Network. But now his team keeps the art space private and doesn't reveal its location because of security concerns.

Restrictions, though, can breed creativity among the artists designing the banners, flags and props that demonstrators use during protests. In the absence of naming specific people or countries, or carrying country flags, they instead have to come up with other imagery to get their messages across.

One of this year’s pieces was a larger-than-life snake for an action with the slogan “Weed Out the Snakes,” calling attention for the removal of big polluters and fossil fuel lobbyists at climate talks, something that's been “outrageous,” said Jax Bongon, whose organization is part of the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition. “Would you invite an arsonist to put out the fire?”

It's an issue that's "particularly hard for me as someone from the Philippines,” Bongon added, but called it "really uplifting" to watch the action come together despite challenges.

Demonstrators hoisted the fire-colored serpent with on their shoulders and heads. Together, their hisses filled the tent, bringing the snake to life.

“I think that the only reason people dare to do this is because, one, they're struggling on how to be heard,” said Dani Rupa, one of the artists working in Baku with The Artivist Network. “But, two, that there is like creative support for them to be able to do this.”

The Artivist Network have been doing this for a long time, attending COPs unofficially since the early 2000s and officially since they formalized in 2018. Sathananthar's seen the multitude of ways protestors have had to argue with host countries and the UNFCCC governing body to get space for activism. But this year, especially, he said it's a struggle — “negotiations within negotiations” that have had Sathananthar staying up late into the night in talks and on occasion have left him “fuming.”

A spokesperson for UNFCCC said they've “been a recognized global leader in ensuring safe civic spaces at COPs for many years" which normally doesn't happen at other intergovernmental events.

Still, activists feel that only being able to protest within certain areas throughout the venue — when previous years have seen mass street marches in host cities — can be frustrating.

“Every action you now have to fight for desperately," Sathananthar said. “We fought to get these spaces and we will fight to keep them."

Follow Melina Walling on X at @MelinaWalling. Follow Joshua A. Bickel on X and Instagram.

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Anna Varszegi, of Budapest, Hungary, works on preparations for a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Dani Rupa, from Budapest, Hungary, paints a snake for a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Kevin Buckland, right, and other activists participate in a demonstration against fossil fuels called weed out the snakes at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Activists with signs spell out "pay up" for climate finance in the Baku Olympic Stadium during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Activists with signs spell out "pay up" for climate finance in the Baku Olympic Stadium during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Kevin Buckland, front, and other activists participate in a demonstration against fossil fuels called weed out the snakes at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Activists participate in a demonstration against fossil fuels at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Shaq Koyok, of Malaysia, paints a sign ahead of a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Anna Varszegi, of Budapest, Hungary, sketches out patterns during preparations for a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Dani Rupa, from Budapest, Hungary, paints a snake for a demonstration during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Activists participate in a demonstration against fossil fuels called weed out the snakes at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)