SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Matthieu Pavon hasn't spent his first season on the PGA Tour enjoying American fans' adulation, but this week at the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition will be much different.

The Frenchman is certain to be a fan favorite at Le Golf National, where he will lead the host country effort alongside Victor Perez.

“[The Olympics] was one of the goals this year but it really started in January. It was something I wanted to achieve before that,” Pavon said. “When we started putting some points to qualify, it wasn't that big in my mind. I was feeling I had steps to do before qualifying for the Olympics, and this is what I did.

“Qualifying for the PGA Tour was my first goal. Then I won the tournament in Torrey and all of a sudden you're in the mix and put forward and you're almost guaranteed to be in the team. From that moment I really realized, and that kind of dream become really a goal that I had to prepare for.”

Pavon was also asked how he would compare winning a gold medal to winning a major championship, a debate that has intensified this week with most players still deferring to the Grand Slam option. Pavon, however, wasn’t in the majority.

“I always felt like a major for golf is more important because we have not really grown up with the Olympics – golf came back in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio. So that was a different feeling, first I had,” he explained. “After a few days at the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we spent the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a major for me.”