RIO DE JANEIRO: Britain's Justin Rose birdied the final hole to win the Olympic golf tournament on Sunday, the first gold medallist in a sport that returned to the Olympics in Rio after a 112-year absence.
Rose, who scored a hole-in-one on his first day, carded a final round four-under-par 67 to beat Henrik Stenson by two strokes in a competition that went all the way to the final putts.
The overnight leader was neck-and-neck with Stenson throughout much of the round but he hit a lovely approach shot to within feet of the pin at the final hole.
Stenson put his long putt past the hole and missed his next shot to card a bogey six.
Rose, whose only major victory was the U.S. Open in 2013, birdied and then punched the air and grabbed the British logo on his shirt to the acclaim of the crowd.
The United States' Matt Kuchar, who was only included after Jordan Spieth pulled out, finished one stroke behind Stenson to win bronze.
Spieth and the other three men in the world's top four withdrew from the Olympics, some of them citing concerns over the Zika virus.
Rose and Stenson know each other well from the European tour and the Ryder Cup, where they played one of the most scintillating rounds in that competition's history in 2014, together carding 12 birdies in 16 holes in a four-ball win over Kuchar and Bubba Watson, the two U.S. golfers who finished third and eighth on Sunday.
Few people play golf in Brazil and the par 71 course was built especially for the Olympics on environmentally sensitive land.
It is due to be turned into a public course, one of just a handful in the South American nation.
Justin Rose wins first Olympic golf gold medal in 112 years
Justin Rose wins first Olympic golf gold medal in 112 years
Saudi Cup place available in Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques qualifier at King Abdulaziz Racecourse
- Last year’s winning jockey Joel Rosario back to ride for Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz
RIYADH: Joel Rosario will aim for back-to-back wins in the Group 3 SR1,500,000 ($400,000) Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup — a qualifier for the 2026 Saudi Cup — aboard Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.
The US-based Dominican rider is one of several high-profile jockeys booked to appear this weekend on a glittering card, with Christophe Soumillon, Mickael Barzalona and Danny Tudhope all jetting into Riyadh and taking on the likes of local champion Adel Alfouraidi.
Rosario scooped the 1,800m trial 12 months ago aboard Rattle N Roll (US) for trainer Kenny McPeek, but will this time don the Red Stable silks of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz to partner last year’s 1000 Guineas and Fillies’ Mile winner after she recently bolted up in the domestic G3 Prince Sultan Ben Abdulaziz Cup.
The winner of six of her seven starts is one of four Red Stable representatives, along with last year’s second and third — Wait To Excel (GB) and Wootton’sun (FR) — while El Jabartee (IRE) completes the quartet looking to qualify for the $20 million showpiece on Feb. 14.
Soumillon and Barzalona both compete for the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz aboard Lionel (US) and Michael Scofield (US), who recently fought out the finish to the domestic G2 Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Cup, with Camilio Ospina on globally Listed King Saud Cup hero Haqeet (US).
Trainer Thamer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah have four runners with their jockey Ricardo Ferreira electing to partner last year’s 2000 Guineas winner and Saudi Derby third Mhally (GB).
Also in the 20-strong field is Scotland Yard (US), who was second on his recent comeback under Alfouraidi, having disappointed when strongly fancied for this race in 2025 before bouncing back to score in the Tuwaiq Cup on Saudi Cup weekend.
There are three other qualifiers for Saudi Cup weekend on Saturday, with Aldaihani and his jockey-owner combination responsible for unbeaten and top-rated Al-Haram (IRE) in the SR465,000 2000 Guineas — a Saudi Derby qualifier — and 19 will go to post in the 1000 Guineas, won last year by Ameerat Alzamaan.
The qualifier for the Obaiya Arabian Classic, the G3 SR165,000 Al-Dareyah Cup, has drawn a field of 12 headed by the Nasser Mutlaq-trained Turki Al-Khalediah II (KSA), while 18 will go on trial in the SR165,000 Riyadh Dirt Sprint Qualifier sponsored by Nova.
Earlier in the weekend, an additional four qualifiers are staged on Friday, when the turf course is swung into action. The highlight of this is the SR1,000,000 Listed Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup, in which one runner will secure a gate in the newly upgraded G1 Neom Turf Cup presented by Howden on Saudi Cup day.
Last year’s winner Bolide Porto (IRE) returns for the White Stable and Ospina, and he was most recently seen taking third behind the UK import Candyman Stan (IRE) for the Al-Ghuraban Stable and runner-up Monsieur Jumbo (FR) in a course-and-distance open last month.
The card opens with the SR165,000 1351 Turf Sprint Qualifier sponsored by Saudia, in which Barzalona holds excellent claims for the White Stable aboard French import Cacofonix (IRE) after he ran second on his Riyadh debut to the Red Stable representative Zefzaf (US), who will be partnered by Rosario, on Dec. 19.
Race two is the SR165,000 Red Sea Turf Qualifier sponsored by Baden Galopp and BBAG Sales and White Stable have a big chance here with the hat-trick-seeking Sayyah (US) under Naif Alanazi, with the four-year-old switching to the grass and attempting 3000m for the first time.
The final Friday qualifier is the SR165,000 Al-Mneefah Qualifier sponsored by SHG, in which the lightly raced Adeeb Al-Shahania (FR) is turned out quickly after an excellent fourth to the exciting Nadem Al-Molwk Al-Khalediah (KSA) in the G1 Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Cup last weekend.
Old rivals Baseq And Bake (US) and Jade De Faust (FR) will again do battle on Friday, with the Purebred Arabian pair heading 11 runners in the G3 SR150,000 Sprint Championship over 1200m.
Returning to Saturday, and enormous prize money of SR5,000,000 is up for grabs in both the King Abdulaziz Cup over 1,600m for Purebred Arabian Horses and the domestic G1 King Abdulaziz Cup for three-year-olds, which sees Red Stable runner Thayaf (KSA) bid to maintain an unbeaten sequence after landing all three starts under Ferreira.
There is a further domestic G1, too, with 12 declared for the SR1,500,000 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for local breeds, in which hat-trick seeking Badr Alsamawi (KSA) tops the ratings, having been fifth in last season’s Saudi Derby.
