The only golfer to win a gold medal and a major championship is Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who won two gold medals in track and field in the 1932 Summer Olympics before turning to golf and winning 10 women’s majors.
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His two back-nine bogeys might have cost him a shot at glory tomorrow, but a birdie on 17 capped an otherwise impressive 67 that has him at six under overall. “It’s always hard to back up a score like 63, but I felt like, you know, 2-under 69 is a good effort after yesterday, as well”.
“If someone had told me I would be in this position at the start of the week, I would have told them to go somewhere”, Fraser said after completing his second round at 2-under 69 Friday. He was still alone in third place, though he was four shots behind and his lack of length could be factor in trying to keep pace with Rose and Stenson.
Three weeks ago at Carnoustie in the Senior British Open, Jimenez took a four-stroke lead into the last day, only to shoot 75 and tie for third – three strokes behind victor Paul Broadhurst.
There were early highlights Saturday when Rose eagled two of the first five holes. He’s a shot ahead of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and three clear of Australia’s Marcus Fraser.
“It can feel so different the next day, and even though it was a similar wind direction”.
But he couldn’t get a birdie in the last four holes of the front nine then got into trouble with back-to-back bogeys on Nos.
“Anytime you play with Stenson at the weekend you know you are doing something right”, Fraser said.
“But I’m pretty happy I stuck in there, managed to make plenty of par saves and give myself a chance tomorrow”.
Bubba had a freakish, duffed birdie putt on the 14th green, which saw the ball travel only about four feet of the 30 feet or so required of it.
“That was the funniest thing ever”, the left-hander explained. “I tried to stop my stroke and did not stop quickly enough and it went about four feet”.
The American is alongside mercurial Swede David Lingmerth and emerging Argentine Emiliano Grillo, who each fired 68 to leave them with an outside hope of glory.
Rose was four shots off the lead to start the second round, but not for long.
There was nothing ordinary of the 108-foot putt on the third.
Fraser, who only made it to Rio when the likes of Jason Day, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman withdrew, continued to take advantage of his call-up as he cruised to 10 under with birdies at the third and fifth, where he nearly holed his wedge approach for an eagle. It is the first time we have met in person.
“To be pushed on by other Swedish athletes out there makes you want to do well”, Stenson said.
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Open champion and World Number Five Henrik Stenson is a further shot back at 8-under and outright third while World Number 12 Justin Rose is part of a two way tie for fourth at 6-under.
