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. Rose said. “That would be great fun”.
Advertisement
So can we please give the exhausted old line a rest that it shouldn’t be here because it’s not the pinnacle of the sport? I felt very inspired this week. “He was very, very proud”.
Rose pitched the ball 18 inches from the cup on the par-5 18th hole and sank the birdie putt to beat Stenson by two strokes for the greatest triumph of his life. Said he was pulling for me.
“It’s a moment you’ve seen in many other sports”, Rose said.
“Coming up with that last pitch when I needed it was magical”.
A closing four under-par round of 67, featuring six birdies and two bogeys, was enough to see Rose finish two shots clear of close friend Stenson on 16 under par.
Kuchar seemed as excited about his bronze as Rose was for his gold.
“I have no regrets. You’re standing on the tee thinking, ‘Where do I hit it?'” Sharp said. “I battled pretty well”. No man ever has defeated the top three seeds on the way to a gold, but 2009 USA champion del Potro sure came close before winding up with a silver to go alongside his bronze from 2012.
“To be an Olympic medalist is something special”. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m thrilled I came here”.
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.
“A cross between a golf tournament and a carnival”, is how the champion Rose described the action. “It was unique, incredible”.
“I know the Canadian women have been doing extremely well (in Rio), and I hope to add to that medal count and I’m sure Alena does, too”, she said.
Deadlocked at 18, Stenson was shy of the green with his approach while Rose was left of the green with bunkers between, the gold fight down to a pitch and putt contest. Knowing that Rose was in tight for birdie, Stenson rammed his birdie putt some 7 feet past the cup and missed the par putt, giving him a 3-under 68.
The leading three players completed the 72-hole test detached from the rest of the field, in which Belgium’s Thomas Pieters finished a highly creditable fourth after slicing 12 shots off his third-round 77 with a final day 65.
Seconds later, Rose tapped in for gold, raised his right fist into the air and then used it to tap the Team GB logo on his shirt over his heart. I’ll have another go.
Mullally and his players held a two-day mini-camp in Houston in preparation for the Olympics, and Henderson said she worked hard to get her game back to the level she expects of herself.
“This is just a dream come true”.
And when his turn came Sunday, he delivered a gold-medal performance worthy of a 112-year wait. “To come out of it with gold is unbelievable”.
The exciting finale, however, will not guarantee golf’s continued participation in the Olympics. Neither would have been an Olympian had their top-four compatriots attended.
Advertisement
“Even though we haven’t had as many gold medals as we would have loved to, I’ve heard silver medal-wise it’s the most we’ve had in any Olympic Games which is very impressive”. “The overwhelming sense of pride is just remarkable”.
