European double at the top of the first golf tournament at the Olympics after 1904, while the United States must settle for third place. Britain's Justine Rose, 36, takes gold with a score of -16 under par, while Sweden's Henrik Stenson, 40, wins silver with -14 at the end of a close battle, in which, however, no manages to prevail over the rival. Third place for Matt Kuchar, 38, after a spectacular recovery that closes the tournament at -13, with a fantastic 63 in the last 18 holes.
The first golf Olympics therefore go to Great Britain, the mother country of this sport and there seems to be historical justice in this result. The Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy will eat his hands because he didn't want to offer even a chance to Ireland, for which he would have fought. "The show must go on" and in the end the show does not suffer from the absence of the first four players in the world rankings, because the match between Rose and Stenson is truly "Olympic" and ends only at the 72nd hole, as in a yellow respect.
Italy comes out of this test satisfied and with some regrets: Matteo Manassero and Nino Bertasio stop in the middle of the standings, in 27th and 30th place respectively. A series of 4 bogeys in a row on the third day by Matteo compromised the possibility of a better placement by the 23-year-old champion.
The tournament also offers the opportunity to take stock of this long-awaited return of golf to the Olympics. The overall result is positive, the cheering and the crowded stands of the Rio facility bode well for the future. There is some incorrect behavior on the part of the public, the result of ignorance of the rules of the game: spectators who collect balls from the leading group, shouts and shouts, when maximum concentration is needed. Nothing really serious though. Indeed, a dress rehearsal for the Ryder Cup, where the American public brings out a stadium cheer. A test won by looking at the leaderboard, given that the stars and stripes champions, Kuchar aside, remain in the rear. And to think that the USA was the only country with 4 qualified by right, because it is part of the top 20 in the world rankings, but Europe seems more determined when it comes to competition.
Returning to the winners, let's try to get to know these champions better. Justin Rose was born in Johannesburg in South Africa to English parents and returned home at the age of 5 when he began playing golf. At 18 he is already a professional, but his debut is not easy, because he misses 21 consecutive cuts in the tournaments he participates in. His career took off thanks to an impeccable swing and reached its peak in 2013, when Justin won his first and for now only major, the US Open at the Marion Golf Club in Philadelphia. Rose, number 12 in the world order of merit, is a player of great class, perhaps a little emotional, especially on putts, but in Rio he knows how to keep up with a rival who doesn't fear comparisons at the moment. In fact, the Rose-Stenson duel recalls in some ways the epic battle between Stenson and Mickelson at the Open Championship, but with the roles reversed.
Even Stenson, number 5 in the ranking, is a champion and a nice and intelligent character. On the pitch he looks like a second generation Terminator, with dark glasses that don't allow the eyes to be glimpsed and crew cut hair. By virtue of an athletic physique Stenson shoots very long shots even without bothering the driver with whom he doesn't always get along. His attitude is apparently glacial, but beneath his frost burns a flammable Latin character. A great lover of chocolate, the Swede lived a career in two phases: a satisfactory first phase, marred by a wrong financial investment that emptied his bank account and left him with gastritis which kept him out of the big circuit for a few years and a second light phase still in progress. In fact, after hitting rock bottom Henrik climbed back up and a few years ago he won everything: FedexCup and Race to Dubai. This year also comes the first major, i.e. the oldest golf Open in the world. The silver medal is the icing on the cake for a mature athlete who perhaps dreamed of taking one more step on the podium. But this is golf: a sweet and bitter sport at the same time.
Matt Kuchar was born in Florida, one of the golf paradises. He is number 20 in the world and has already won 30 million dollars in career prizes. He is a great player who never backs down and although he arrives in Rio without even knowing the formula of the competition he proves he knows how to lead the ball to the medal.
After this interlude, the great golf professionals return to their millionaire tournaments and the intense season finale, with Fedex opening in a couple of weeks, the Ryder Cup and the Race to Dubai still ahead. However, golf in Rio does not end there. The women will start training from tomorrow, because the women's tournament will take place from Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 August. Italy will be represented by Giulia Molinaro and Giulia Sergas, “who – writes Ferdergolf in a note – followed the last two laps of the men's competition carefully studying the field”.
