In a final round that was tense from the opening hole, Rose hit a pitch to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 18th hole at Olympic Golf Course for a 4-under 67 and a two-shot victory over Henrik Stenson to win the first gold medal in golf since 1904 in St. Louis.
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Rio de Janeiro: Britain’s Justin Rose was listening to “God Save The Queen” and watching the Union Jack rise into the sky Sunday while still trying to fully appreciate the historic Olympic gold medal around his neck.
Some said they had scheduling issues and others cited concerns over the Zika virus, including world number one Jason Day of Australia and American number three Jordan Spieth.
A bogey by Rose at 13 dropped him one stroke behind Stenson, the 36-year-old Englishman finding a bunker with his approach and missing a six-foot par putt.
You may recall McIlroy’s comments came during the same press session where he seemed to be in a bad mood and even said that he didn’t feel like he was letting golf down by skipping the Olympics.
Ku char, who only got into the United States team when Jordan Spieth withdrew before the Open and did not know there was no team competition until recently, said: “It’s the happiest I’ve ever been to finish third”. Absolutely. He said he was very, very proud and he said he was pulling for me. It meant a lot to the whole team, the family, the caddie – everyone worked so hard and it was a big focus for the year. I’ve been so into it.
“I didn’t really think too much about what happened in the past”, Stenson said.
“This is a dream come true”.
And when his turn came Sunday, he delivered a gold-medal performance worthy of a 112-year wait.
“I would be surprised if next time around we don’t get a full turnout”, Dawson said. In contrast, Stenson was unable to hole a long putt, and his next attempt also drifted off, leaving him to book a 6 and take the silver medal.
While several other high-profile golfers had decided not to compete at the Olympics, Rose had relished the prospect of becoming an Olympian since the moment the sport’s return to the Games was confirmed in 2009. There was only a week between the Open Championship and PGA Championship, and only a week between the finish of the Olympics and the FedExCup playoffs.
Rose got a blistering start by firing eagles on the third and fifth holes.
But Rose and his short game proved the difference, as he made birdies on the 15th, and then chipped close on the final hole to shut the door on Stenson. “I pyres it and got a result”. “It kind of put me out of my rhythm a little bit but I was still there till the end”. He went to a little football camp this last week and he got a medal, and he said to me “Right dad, I’ve got my medal it’s time for you to get yours”. I didn’t think that it would have great support and it really did.
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“If he was here and had a son who was an Olympic gold medalist, he would probably say, ‘What a great accomplishment, ‘” Rose said.
