Great Britain’s Justin Rose became the first Olympic golf gold medalist in 112 years Sunday, beating out Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a back-nine showdown on Rio’s Reserva de Marapendi Olympic golf course.
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In a final round Sunday so tense that no one led by more than one shot, Rose won on the last hole with a 40-yard pitch to 3 feet for birdie and a 4-under 67, giving him a two-shot victory over Henrik Stenson to win the first gold medal in golf since 1904 in St. Louis.
American Matt Kuchar, who took bronze after a final-round eight-under par 63, said the Rose-Stenson showdown spoke volumes about why golf and the Olympics were good for each other ahead of the 2017 International Olympic Committee rethink.
Stenson, who emerged on top after a similarly epic shoot-out with Phil Mickelson in The Open at Royal Troon last night, had to accept second place this time and the silver medal was a deserving reward for his part in a wonderful spectacle which saw Matt Kuchar of the United States claim the bronze medal after a course record-equalling last round of 63.
“It sits right alongside the U.S. Open Trophy for me for sure”, Rose said, asked where he will keep his new Olympic gold medal, while adding “I think people want to keep comparing a major championship to Olympic golf, but I don’t think they should be compared to one another”.
An event dimmed by the decisions of more than 20 players to stay away, including world number one Jason Day of Australia and the entire world top four, provided plenty of excitement and spectacular shotmaking as the gold hung on a knife’s edge all day. Fully embracing every part of the experience made his win on Sunday just a bit sweeter.
“This feels better than any tournament I’ve ever won”, said Rose. “It was the best tournament I’ve ever done”. “My phone has been on fire the last 24 hours and it seems to resonate with a much wider audience, and that’s what I’ve taken away from this week, it’s not necessarily just golf fans that are interested, it’s just sports fans, and a nation as a whole that seems to get behind you”. I’ve been so up for it.
“To come up with that pitch when I needed it was magical”. “I’m so proud he got the bronze”.
The overnight leader was neck-and-neck with Stenson throughout much of the round but he hit a lovely approach shot to within feet of the pin at the final hole. I’ve watched many on TV.
“The Olympics were the biggest goal of mine this year”, Ko said on Monday. “I didn t play my best”. “My heart started pounding out of my chest”, Kuchar said. But at the same time we said that all along in the Olympics you’ve got some pretty good consolation prizes. “The reality hasn’t sunk in”, Rose said.
“It’s an opportunity that comes around so rarely and I think that I’m certainly happy that it’s sort of fallen on my plate, so to speak”.
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“I’ve been super excited since they announced it in “09, in a couple of days I can say ‘I’m an Olympian” it’s a huge honour to represent NZ”, Ko said in Rio today. Danny Lee, on the men’s side, had a very similar heritage.
