Golf: Dramatic last-round duel bolsters golf's case

By Andrew Downie and Liana B. Baker RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Olympic champion Justin Rose appealed to Games chiefs to forget the withdrawals of top names and focus on the players and fans who did turn up and use that positivity to ensure golf remains as an Olympic sport. Golf's future in the Games will be debated over the next few years but Rose said Sunday's exciting finale in front of big crowds should guarantee its spot beyond Tokyo 2020."To anybody making the decision going forward, I would just ask them, were you in Rio on Sunday?," Briton Rose told reporters after a thrilling final-round showdown with Sweden's Henrik Stenson earned him the gold medal, the first in the sport since the last time golf was played in the Olympics in 1904. Golf returned to the Olympics after an absence of 112 years and the purpose-built course in Rio de Janeiro was packed to see Rose defeat British Open champion Stenson with a birdie at the final hole.

Continue reading...