Justin Rose of Great Britain, walks up to the medal ceremony with silver medalist Henrik Stenson of Sweden, behind him after the final round of the men’s golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday.
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Rose and Stenson know each other well from the European Tour and Ryder Cup, where they played one of the most scintillating rounds in the competition’s history in 2014, together carding 12 birdies in 16 holes in a four-ball win over Kuchar and Bubba Watson, the USA golfers who came third and eighth on Sunday.
Rose, the 2013 U.S Open champion, has become the third man to win individual golf gold after American Charles Sands in 1900 and George Lyon of Canada in 1904.
Often thought of as something of a brat prince himself, Sergio Garcia offered this on Twitter to the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, who opted out of the Olympics. And he got a medal and said to me: “‘I’ve got my medal, now it’s time for you to get yours.’ He was actually crying on the phone, and that was very, very special”.
Watching his first golf tournament in person, Cardoso said exposure to 60 of the world’s premier players on the highest worldwide stage was “invigorating”.
“It’s been an incredible week and I’m very fortunate to be a part of it”, Australia’s sixth-ranked player said.
“The competition is something I have been focused on, wanted to peak for, and has been at the forefront of my mind for the last few months”. I’ve been so up for it.
“Even though there I’m the only New Zealand woman golfer in this week, I think it’s not more about our sport, but just every other athlete and every other athlete from New Zealand”, Ko said. To come out with a gold is unbelievable.
The other three Americans left with pride but no medal. “I told them both, ‘I don’t think I ever woke up at 7 a.m.to watch someone else play'”.
Stenson’s ball dug into the putting surface and spun back toward the front of the green, before the Englishman stiffed his pitch to two feet for a kick-in birdie. “The reality hasn’t sunk in”, said Rose, who finished at 16-under 268.
Golf’s return to the Olympics was hampered by difficulty constructing the course and then several stars – including the top four in the world – electing to stay away out of health concerns.
With the 18th-hole grandstands in his sights, Rose led by a stroke on the 15th – but he narrowly missed a putt that would have kept pressure on Stenson, leaving him to watch as Stenson sank his own short putt.
“Hopefully, his vibes came off to me”, she said Monday.
Stenson then took the lead for the first time when Rose failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the 13th, but was struggling with an injury and received treatment from a physio after hitting his tee shot on the 14th.
A 12-foot birdie putt at 15 closed Kuchar s grasp around a bronze medal and a tap-in birdie at the par-3 17th left him only a shot from silver by the end.
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“It’s an opportunity that comes around so rarely and I’m certainly happy it’s fallen on my plate”.
