Rose captures first golf gold

RIO DE JANEIRO — Britain’s Justin Rose was listening to his national anthem while still trying to fully appreciate the historic Olympic gold medal around his neck. The 36-year-old Englishman had outdueled Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in a tension-packed Rio final-round thriller Sunday to capture the first Olympic golf title in 112 years and was in the midst of a dream made real while on the podium. “That was a really surreal moment,” Rose said. “It’s a moment we’ve seen in other sports. It felt very different to any other tournament.” 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. “Oh my God. That felt better than anything I’ve ever won. It was the best tournament I’ve ever done,” Rose said. “Coming up with that last pitch when I needed it was magical.” Rose fired a closing four-under par 67 to finish 72 holes on 16-under 268. Stenson, whose poor chip left him a near-impossible putt to stay level with Rose, closed with a bogey to take the silver on 270, one stroke ahead of US bronze medalist Matt Kuchar. “I have no regrets. I did as well as I could,” Stenson said. “To be an Olympic medalist is something special. It was the gift of a lifetime coming here.” An event dimmed by the decisions of more than 20 players to stay away, including world No. 1 Jason Day of Australia and the entire world top four, provided plenty of excitement and spectacular shotmaking as the gold hung on a knife’s edge all day. “It felt like a cross between a golf tournament and a carnival,” Rose said. “It was unique, incredible.” A sellout crowd of 12,000 included people wanting to take photographs, a golf no-no, and anxious to pick up the ball until instructed to leave it be. “Hopefully we’ve shown Brazil what golf is about,” Rose said. Rose toasted his late father Ken, his first golf coach, and emotionally recalled them watching past Olympics together. “If he was here and had a son who was an Olympic gold medalist, he would probably say, ‘What a great accomplishment,’” Rose said.