Winners and Losers from the 2016 Olympic Golf Tournament in Rio De Janeiro
The Olympic golf tournament from Rio de Janeiro was a great show. After all the buildup, years of questions, criticism, Zika concerns and player withdrawals, it came down to the 72nd hole with two of the best golfers in the world tied, battling for a gold medal.
In front of a sell-out gallery at the Gil Hanse-designed course, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose did battle for gold Sunday, with Matt Kuchar flying like an eagle (patriotic pun, couldn't resist) up the leaderboard with a brilliant 63 to lock up a bronze medal.
It was a heckuva week in Rio from the men's golf standpoint, with much of the significance only to be gleaned in hindsight and in ripples yet to be perceived.
We'll begin that process of hindsight with a look at this week's winners and losers.
Winner: Justin Rose
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An enthusiastic member of "Team GB," it was only right that Justin Rose should medal at the Olympics.
Rose, who kicked off the competition with a hole-in-one during the opening round, continued his steady play through the weekend, carding rounds of 65 and 67 to top Henrik Stenson by two strokes.
The Englishman has been all-in on the golf's return to the games.
Rose, per Ian Carter at the BBC:
"Growing up, you never really thought of golf and Olympic gold in the same sentence. But when it was announced, however many years ago, I've always been incredibly excited about the prospect and always really hoped my ranking would enable me to come and compete. The fact that was the case, then you get to be really excited about the opportunity to represent Team GB.
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And he certainly represented Team GB well, ending a spell of so-so form since returning from injury at the U.S. Open and outlasting one of the hottest golfers in the world in Stenson en route to the gold. Rose's up-and-down from 40 yards for birdie at the 72nd hole will forever be linked with golf's return to the Olympic Games.
Loser: Crocodile Stenson
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Henrik Stenson has a history of interesting on-course behavior, to say the least. Often referred to as "the Terminator" or "Iceman," Stenson is imbued with a puckish sense of humor, as nearly every press conference reveals.
Perhaps it was this spirit, then, that inspired him to poke a caiman (related to the crocodile) lurking in a water hazard near the fairway. See the video here.
"Don't poke the bear" (in this case, reptile), should've stayed away from that "damned alligator" (Chubbs from Happy Gilmore). Pick you advice, Henrik: No matter how many major trophies or medals you've won recently, not the best idea to prod a pointy-toothed reptile.
Winner: Henrik Stenson
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And while he wasn't at his winningest when he elected to prod on-course wildlife, Henrik Stenson, as the silver medalist, is still a winner this week.
After all, Justin Rose and Stenson came to the final hole tied. Both players had short third shots to the par-five's green, but Rose executed better than the Swede. The margin of defeat was narrower than the two strokes the leaderboard suggests.
Stenson's strong form since the U.S. Open continued this week in Rio. With four rounds in the 60s and just beaten by a nose at the end, golf's first silver medalist in more than a century is a winner.
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Loser: Team USA
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The Stars and Stripes didn't get the team bus out of the garage until Sunday when it was too late. And except for Rickie Fowler's third-round 64, there wasn't much to write home about ahead of the final round.
Up until the final day of the competition dawned in Rio, Bubba Watson's duffed putt was something of a fitting microcosm of the squad's effort. Fortunately, Matt Kuchar made a Sunday surge, tallying an inspired 63.
Still, with four golfers in the the field of 60 and four with top-15 Official World Golf Ranking pedigree, coming away with just one medal (and not of the golf variety), has to be called a disappointment for the U.S.
Winner: Matt Kuchar
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The lone star for the Stars and Stripes was Matt Kuchar, who plodded along for three days then fired an inspired final-round 63 to lock up a medal.
Kuchar made six birdies and an eagle Sunday to post 13 under, four strokes better than the fourth-place finisher.
The Georgia Tech alum set out to have a great week, and did he ever.
Quoted in the Irish Examiner, Kuchar offered his perspective on the competition.
"I had fingers crossed secretly hoping players would pull out. I always had a hope I could make it and to be here now is quite amazing. I knew there were concerns - I figured, though, that a lot of things get blown out of proportion.
Storylines and headlines tend to be attention-grabbers and I’d heard word from Gil Hanse (designer of the Olympic golf course) that he’d spent months and months here, never (had) an issue.
The people that had actually spent time here said it’s a great city and you’ll love coming down here. We had a day Monday where my wife and I played tourist and we had a fantastic experience.
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Fantastic experience, indeed.
Losers: Olympic Skippers
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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.
"Whoever said @OlympicGolf didn't mean anything must've been on drugs cause this is absolutely amazing!!Coming to Rio, my best decision ever!" Garcia tweeted.
That about says it, doesn't it? Players who have embraced the Olympic experience, from Justin Rose, to Henrik Stenson, to Team USA's unofficial mascot Rickie Fowler, had a heckuva time at the biennial competition.
And when you turned on the television (or computer, millennials) to see golfers taking in other sporting events, you had to think Adam Scott, etc., wouldn't have minded a front-row seat to a buffet of elite competition.
And in hindsight, they probably wouldn't have minded having the first Olympic gold medal for golf since 1904 draped around around their necks.
It would be interesting to see how concerns about Zika and a packed schedule stack up against the Olympic experiences of other top players in their minds, now that the competition has wrapped. Difficult not to think there's some measure of regret, however.
Winner: Golf
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Legend of the game Gary Player said (per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune):
"My goodness me there's nothing in the world that will promote golf like this. Remember you have people from Bangladesh and (other) little golfing countries that will be watching on television. This will promote golf more than any tournament in the world, no question about it.
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Whatever the global impact of golf's return to the Olympics, it's a safe bet it will be a positive one. How could it be otherwise?
Venezuela's Jhonny Vegas offered:
"More people are paying attention to the game than did before this week, simple as that. My country is a perfect example. I've gotten reaction from people who know nothing about golf, but they want to support because I'm one of the athletes at the Olympics. People start getting a little more knowledgeable and maybe kids get inspired and want to be here one day.
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And Ireland's Padraig Harrington most practically approximated the impact with this bit of speculation:
"If I went to the population of the world and said I was a three-time major winner, at least 90 percent would not have an iota what I was (talking) about. If I said I was an Olympic gold-medal winner, you'd probably find that only 10 percent wouldn't know.
I think people who are thinking it doesn't make a difference, golf being in the Olympics, are living in a very Westernized world where golf is (already) a big sport. As an Olympic sport, it jumps a barrier that includes it in so many state programs and state funding. It can only be great for the game.
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Only great for the game, indeed.
Loser: This Bubba Watson Putt
8 of 8Man, there's a lot we could say about this Bubba Watson duffed putt at the 14th hole Saturday, but it's probably best to just watch the video and listen to Watson's explanation.
Speaking as positively as possible about the situation: He left his first effort a little short.
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