“I was in a great fight with Henrik, a good friend of mine, and it took world class golf to win today so I am very proud of the achievement and I’ve just got to let it all soak in now”.
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“For me what was heartening was hearing comments from guys who really weren’t in contention for being on the podium who spoke positively about it being one of the best golfing weeks of their lives”, Rose said.
“I’m not sure much more needs to be said except what transpired this week”.
Bronze medallist Matt Kuchar of the United States defended golf’s place in the Games and said the thrill of having a medal around his neck was incomparable. Sometimes in tournaments, we can get carried away about who came first in that event.
Justin Rose made his son cry.
“He started one ahead and it came down to the last shots”.
Then there is the format, which has caused much consternation, even though Rose admitted that 72 holes of stroke play is the best way to determine an individual champion.
Australia’s top-ranked Jason Day, Americans Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland – the world’s four top players – didn’t play, heading a list of about 20 top golfers who skipped Rio, many of them citing the threat of the Zika virus, which causes severe illness and has been linked to certain birth defects.
“It feels absolutely incredible”, Rose said.
Justin Rose has revealed Rory McIlroy did watch the Olympic golf tournament despite suggesting prior to the Games he would not.
Stenson s ball hit the green and spun well back from the cup.
After holing out for a birdie four on the 18th, Rose punched the air in celebration and fell into the arms of his wife, Kate, before savouring the medal ceremony. Stenson ran his 22-foot birdie attempt eight feet past the hole, then missed his comeback putt for par and settled for bogey and a round of 68.
Now she is setting her sights on Olympic gold.
By the afternoon, the grandstand at the 18 hole was near capacity, and the audience there welcomed the returning players with cheers – particularly when they holed tricky putts to close out their Olympics.
Stenson’s pitch from 50 yards came up short, just over 20 feet away, and then Rose delivered what amounted to the victor.
They were tied when the two reached the 18th – and that’s where Rose’s shot for the green landed just feet from the pin, drawing cheers from the gallery. He kept firing away, however, hitting a tough pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the 16th to tie for the lead.
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The second-seeded Murray took the final games after trailing 5-3 in the fourth set and stopped the resurgent run of the 141st-ranked del Potro, who knocked off No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round last weekend and No. 3 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals Saturday. Along the back nine, the 40-year-old Swede’s back began to act up, and Stenson had a physiotherapist work on it on the 14th hole.
