RIO 2016
GOLF: Great Britain’s Justin Rose claims historic Olympic gold
Great Britain‘s Justin Rose has become the first Olympic golf champion for 112 years courtesy of a two-shot victory over Henrik Stenson.
The duo were neck and neck down the back nine in a thrilling finale to the men’s golf competition in Rio, which had been hit by a number of high-profile withdrawals before the Games began.
That didn’t dampen the drama, though, as the first appearance of the sport in the Olympics since 1904 went right down to the wire, with Rose and Stenson level on 15-under going into the final hole.
A stunning chip from the Brit put him on course for a birdie on the last, and Open champion Stenson had no reply as he was forced to settle for silver.
Rose kept his nerves to sink the birdie with two shots to spare, earning the gold and writing his name into the history books in the process.
While the battle for the top prize was a private duel, the race for bronze was more closely fought before Australia’s Marcus Fraser claimed the final medall.
