Justin Rose plays from the sand during the final round of men’s golf in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Olympic Golf Course on August 14. This is his 16th worldwide victory across six different continents.
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Great Britain’s Justin Rose, a former U.S. Open champion, was there. Rose was one shot ahead until a superb birdie by British Open champion Stenson on the 16th set up a nerve-jangling finale. Knowing that Rose was tight for birdie, Stenson rammed his birdie putt some 7 feet by the cup and missed the par putt, giving him a 3-under 68. At that moment, it was Rose who came up with the wizardry, hitting his 38-yard chip to two feet from the pin, where he would putt for birdie.
The Briton goes into the annals as the first Olympic gold medal victor in golf for 116 years.
The world number 12 couldn’t be separated from Stenson, victor of the 2016 Open Championship, over the course of the final 18 holes, needing a sublime pitch on the final hole to set up the winning putt.
The triple-major victor carded three birdies and five bogeys in a disappointing final round. But it was his short game that failed him down the stretch.
Stenson’s ball dug into the putting surface and spun back toward the front of the green, before the Englishman stiffed his pitch to two feet for a kick-in birdie.
Gold Digest reports Stenson had an explanation for using a wedge.
Olympic golf is not a PGA Tour event. But Sunday afternoon, he stood on the medal stand.
“I had a bit of an issue, my thoracic spine kind of locked up completely after 13 holes and I had to have some treatment”, said the Swede.
“And I get to show up at Augusta every year from now on because I won [the Masters] there”.
Biggest disappointment: The sixth Australian on the Olympic list, Marcus Fraser got to Rio after four of his countrymen withdrew, and for three days it looked like he was going to leave with a medal.
But instead of a nobody winning amid mediocrity, major winners Rose and Stenson of Sweden conjured up one of the tightest climaxes so far in Rio. He also had two birdies and two bogeys.
India’s campaign in golf at the Rio Olympics today ended on a disappointing note as SSP Chawrasia and Anirban Lahiri finished tied 50th and tied 57th respectively after going through contrasting days.
The momentum continued into the back nine, as Hearn collected pars on each of the back nine’s first four holes.
Rose’s fellow Brit, Masters champion Danny Willett, shot a final-round 74 to finish on level par for the tournament.
The clubhouse leader after two rounds, Fraser started Sunday three behind Rose at -9 but never challenged.
Quote of the day: Rose, when asked how the reality compared to the dream: “The reality is incredible”.
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“It was a amusing position to be in, but while I was out there, playing that back nine, the sense of being an Olympic Medalist really hit me”, said Kuchar.
