Michael Phelps awestruck by Paris Olympics crowd as Matthieu Pavon gets warm reception on first tee

Olympic legend Michael Phelps was in the audience to watch the golfers start the first round of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 1. The American swimming icon's presence added excitement as he observed the golfers teeing off at this prestigious event.

Phelps was awestruck by the large crowd cheering for home hero Matthieu Pavon. The French golfer began his outing with a birdie on the first hole, and the enthusiastic fans showed their support as he teed off.

Olympics Golf shared a video from Le Golf National featuring Phelps speaking about golf at the Olympics. He noted that it’s a different experience compared to playing on the PGA Tour, emphasizing the pride of representing one's country.

"Being on the first tee...being able to see kind of what these guys go through at an Olympics. Right? For me, the Olympics, I think, is different than a PGA Tour event, and I think if you asked the guys, they would say the same thing! Because you're getting the chance to represent your country! And there's so much pride in that. For me, there's nothing better than wearing the stars and stripes" Phelps said in the video.

He went on to describe Mattieu Pavon getting a warm welcome on the first tee hole, stating, "It was absolutely incredible."

"When Matthieu Pavon came up, the whole entire audience just started belting out! It was absolutely incredible! I mean, the hair on my hair arms was sticking straight up! And I really think it shows what the Olympics is! The Olympics is about bringing so many countries, every single country, together in one city to compete," he added.

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Michael Phelps shares pictures of golfers from the first tee

Michael Phelps enjoyed watching the golfers on the first tee and shared several pictures on his Instagram page. He cheered for American golfers Wyndham Clark, Scottie Scheffler, Northern Irish player Rory McIlroy, Aussie star Jason Day, and Swedish golfer Ludvig Åberg. He posted pictures of the golfers taking their first shots at the Olympics.

Check out the pictures below:

Still from Michael Phelps' Instagram story/@m_phelps00

Still from Michael Phelps' Instagram story/@m_phelps00

The first round of golf at the Paris Olympics started smoothly but was suspended due to lightning risks. Some players completed their rounds, while others are still finishing up. After the opening round, Hideki Matsuyama took the lead with an impressive score of 8-under 63.

Xander Schauffele shot a round of 65 to start his campaign, aiming to defend his gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He settled for solo second place. Joaquin Niemann tied for third place with Emiliano Grillo and Tom Kim.

Scottie Scheffler is tied for sixth place with Alex Noren, Ryan Fox, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Erik van Rooyen, Jon Rahm, Carlos Ortiz, and Sami Välimäki. Notably, the final leaderboard for the first round will be released after all players complete their rounds.