England’s Justin Rose is just one round from being crowned an Olympic Games Gold Medal winner after posting a superb 65 and move one shot clear of his rivals on day three of the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition
Rose capped his round with two eagles to move to 12-under par and one clear of Sweden’s and reigning Open Champion Henrik Stenson who capped his round with an eagle ‘3’ at the fifth hole and in a round of 68.
However all eyes will be on Rose who had written his name into Olympic Games history on Thursday with the first hole-in-one at the Games.
“It’s like a lot of other sports,” Rose said. “You work hard to get into the finals. It’s about a great performance tomorrow.”
Aussie Marcus Fraser, who led for the opening two days, struggled with a one over par 72 that included just one birdie but also two bogeys to be at nine under par and only three behind Rose.
Three players are next best on six under par – Emiliano Grillo (68), Stenson’s team-mate David Lingmerth (68) and Bubba Watson (67)
England’s Justin Rose shows his delight in a round of 65 to move a shot clear of the field after three rounds of the Olympic Games golf competition. (Photo – www.europeantour.coM)
Stenson has already been involved in one titanic final-day tussle when the Swede fired a brilliant 63 to beat Phil Mickelson to the Claret Jug at Troon, and a 68 on day three at the Olympic Golf Course set up the prospect of another intriguing battle.
Rose began the day four shots behind overnight leader Fraser but after making a birdie-bogey start, two eagles in the next three holes catapulted him up the leaderboard.
He holed his second shot on the short par four third and, after Fraser got in bunker trouble off the tee on the fourth to drop a shot, he hit the green in two and rolled in an 18-footer on the fifth to take the outright lead.
Stenson holed putts of 60 and 108 feet in round two and he got the putter going again, rolling in for an eagle from 30 feet on the fifth but bogeys on the fourth and eighth left him two off the lead at the turn.
A birdie on the par five tenth moved the Swede alongside Fraser but when Rose rolled in a 36-foot putt from off the green on the 12th, the lead was two shots.
Fraser made a 23-footer on the 13th for a first gain of the day and with Rose failing to get up and down after finding sand off the tee on the 14th, the lead was shared at ten under.
It was briefly a three-way tie as Stenson holed a 20-foot putt on the same hole but Fraser got into similar trouble to Rose and dropped back to nine under, leaving the Ryder Cup team-mates sharing top spot.
Rose put an approach to seven feet on the 15th to edge ahead but Stenson hit straight back on the same hole before another close approach handed Rose the lead again on the next.
And with Andy Murray into the final of the men’s tennis it could be double gold for Great Britain and if so, Rose would not be happier.
“It would mean an awful lot,” said Rose. “You see what it means to the other Olympic athletes. Once a guy slips a gold medal around his neck, we’ll all understand how important it is.”
