SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — Jason Day still regrets skipping the Olympics when golf returned to the program in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Day was the world’s No. 1 player at the time and had expressed concerns about the Zika virus.

“Looking back, I should have just accepted it and gone down there and played,” the Australian said Tuesday at the Paris Olympics. “I think in that case it would have been an amazing experience for me to go down there and represent something that’s bigger than you.”

Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, who are among the world’s top three, also withdrew from Rio and never made it to the Olympics again. Day had reason to think he might not get a chance either. He failed to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games while battling injuries and a slump in form.

Day was determined to go back.

“Granted, we’re from a pretty small country. It’s not like I was representing America — it’s really hard because there are so many good players,” he said. “I just felt like if I could play halfway decent at some point, I could get back into the team.”

Day twice referred to “burnout” when talking about missing the 2016 Olympics. He was at his best, winning eight times in two years and holding the No. 1 ranking for 47 consecutive weeks.

“I don’t think it was necessarily winning too much. It’s more the other things that come with it,” Day said. “The signing of autographs. The pulling in different directions by your team, your family, your coaches. Because everybody’s pulling on you. After a while, you can only give so much of yourself away.”

Day said he found it difficult to turn down requests.

“And that was ultimately the reason I got exhausted quickly,” he said.

First tee tribute

France’s Victor Perez will tee off at the Paris Olympics, an honor the Olympics bestows on a player from the host country.

Rikuya Hoshino teed off at the Tokyo Games, while Brazil’s Adilson da Silva teed off at the Rio de Janeiro Games when golf returned to the program in 2016.

Scottie’s Gold Medallion

Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler talks about some of the “cool stuff” he keeps in his golf room at home, along with the trophies. That includes a Masters item he could only describe as a “little gold thing.”

That would be the Gold Medallion, which is less talked about than a green jacket or the silver trophy presented in the clubhouse at Augusta National.

“When you win the Masters, you get this little thing that says you’re a member of the club,” Scheffler said. “You only get it once, and it hangs in the room and it’s something that a lot of people don’t know about. It kind of hangs in the corner.”

How big?

“Small,” he said, wagging his finger to illustrate the dimension. “It’s exactly how you would think Augusta National would do it. Very simple, elegant, beautiful. Just tasteful, all the right things. Small, simple, and it means a lot.”

The three-sided medallion is shaped like the Masters logo: the continental U.S. with a flag in Augusta, Georgia. Open it once and there’s a silhouette of the clubhouse inside. Open it again and there’s a silhouette of co-founder Bobby Jones. On the back are the winning player’s initials.

Masters champions are presented with the gold medallion at the Masters Club dinner the following year. Some, like Ben Crenshaw, have given it to their wives. Scheffler now has it chilling in a corner of his office.

LPGA Boost

The LPGA Tour is hosting a new tournament in the Boston area this year and has a new sponsor who is ramping up the perks ahead of the first event.

The FM Championship, which begins Aug. 29 at TPC Boston, added $300,000 to the prize pool, bringing it to $3.8 million. The five-year deal with Rhode Island-based insurance company FM is for the prize money to increase annually until it reaches $5 million in 2028.

The $3.8 million prize pool is the largest on the LPGA outside of the five majors and the CME Group Tour Championship.

FM, formerly known as FM Global until a rebranding two weeks ago, has already said it would offer free hotel accommodations to players. It is also offering a $1,000 stipend to anyone who misses the cut.

“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our new brand, our partnership with the LPGA and the return of women’s professional golf to New England than by investing in additional support for the incredible athletes of the LPGA Tour,” said David Johnson, senior vice president at FM.

Western Amateur on TV

The Western Amateur, the third-oldest amateur championship in golf, celebrates its 122nd edition with some television time.

ESPN+ will stream live from Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, beginning with the round of 16 on Friday. Subscribers can watch via the ESPN app, website and connected devices.

“We are proud to elevate our premier amateur championship and provide a larger stage for the elite players competing for one of the most coveted titles in golf,” said John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Association.

The Western Amateur dates back to 1899. Only the British Amateur (1885) and US Amateur (1895) are older. Previous champions include Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Curtis Strange.

Pits

Hideki Matsuyama understands a good deal of English and can give a few answers in English — albeit short ones — without waiting for an interpreter. Asked if he liked French food or if he brought his own chef, Matsuyama quickly replied: “Chef.” His interpreter at the Olympics added: “That was a piece of cake.” … Jhonattan Vegas became the fourth player this year to go more than six years without winning on the PGA Tour. He won the 3M Open on Sunday to qualify for next year’s Masters for the first time since 2018. … Only six times since 2010 has a player made triple bogey or worse in the first round and won a PGA Tour event. Rory McIlroy has done it three times.

Statistics of the week

Lydia Ko is the only golfer to win medals at the last two Olympic Games: silver in Rio de Janeiro and bronze in Tokyo.

Last word

“I always felt that majors are more important for golf because we didn’t really grow up with the Olympics. After a few days in the Olympic Village, the opening ceremony in Paris with all those people in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we’ve had the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be more important than a major for me now.” — Matthieu Pavon of France