Golf (Olympic)

The weather forecast in Rio de Janeiro caused the start time of the women's golf final round to be moved up Saturday, but nothing was going to stand in the way of Inbee Park and a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics. 

Park was on fire from the start, finishing her final round with a 66 for a 72-hole total of 16 under par. Lydia Ko and Shanshan Feng took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively. 

Here is the final leaderboard from women's golf at the Rio Games:

Full leaderboard via NBCOlympics.com.

Park entered Saturday with a two-shot lead over Ko and Gerina Piller. She went to work right away putting some distance between herself and the competition. She hit birdies on three straight holes, beginning with No. 3, to push her score to 14 under par. 

Golf Channel's Damon Hack did his best to put Park's performance into a proper context:

Yet there are additional elements to her performance that managed to make her accomplishment in Rio even more impressive. 

Park has had a difficult 2016 season because of a left thumb injury that forced her to withdraw from several events. She withdrew from the International Crown event four weeks ago because of the problems with her thumb. 

This is just Park's second start since returning from the injury, but it was the clearest indication that her game is returning to the level it was at when she won the first three majors in 2013. 

Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman left no doubt about her standing in golf history:

Inbee Park = ALL TIME great

— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) August 20, 2016

Park is just 28 years old, and she's already eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. 

Tilghman also pointed out that Park's Olympic win made her part of an exclusive club:

Feng tried to make things interesting, with four birdies in five holes starting on No. 7. That brought her score to 11 under par. A bogey on No. 13 would move her four shots behind Park without enough time to close the gap. 

Park responded with a birdie on the 13th hole. It pushed her lead back to five strokes, allowing her to take a celebratory victory lap for the final five holes if she wanted to. 

The real battle on Saturday was for silver and bronze. Harukyo Nomura was tied for third with Stacy Lewis at nine under when her day ended. Lewis was through 17, giving her one more chance for a birdie that she was unable to take advantage of.

At the time Nomura and Lewis left the course, Ko was on the 14th hole at eight under par. She would birdie the hole to move into a three-way tie for third place, but she had room to play with that her main competitors didn't. 

Ko would capitalize on her opportunity with a birdie on 16 that pushed her into a tie with Feng for second place.

Feng missed a short birdie opportunity on the 18th hole that would have put her alone in second, giving Ko a shot at the silver medal. Her second shot on the par-five final hole was hit left of the green, leaving her with a difficult up-and-down attempt.   

Ko left plenty of drama on her final birdie putt, as the ball caught the edge of the cup and rolled around momentarily before falling to secure second place. 

There are legendary performances in every sport that get passed down through generations. NBA fans have heard all about the legend of Willis Reed in the 1970 NBA Finals. Kirk Gibson's home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series is played on every MLB video package. Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open with a broken leg. 

Park's effort in the Olympics, considering how her season has gone and the injury she has been fighting, belongs in the conversation with any of those historic efforts. She dominated a stacked field to earn the first gold in women's golf since 1900. 

South Korea's Inbee Park maintained her lead in women's golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics Friday, as she shot a one-under 70 in the third round and sits at 11 under overall.

Park holds a two-shot advantage over New Zealand's Lydia Ko and USA's Gerina Piller. Here is a look at the top of the leaderboard through three rounds of play at Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, with full results available at NBCOlympics.com:

The 28-year-old Park is a seven-time major champion, but she is now in line for perhaps the biggest win of her career, as she can become the first Olympic gold medalist in women's golf since 1900.

Although Park will enter the final round with a two-shot cushion, her third-round performance was uneven after she finished with a 66 in each of the first two rounds.

Park had six birdies and five bogeys on the day. She birdied both No. 16 and No. 17 and seemed poised to enter the clubhouse on a high note, but a bogey on the par-five 18th left the door open for others to make a run at the gold.

One thing Park has working in her favor, though, is her dominance with the putter, according to Randall Mell of GolfChannel.com:

While Park is the golfer to beat, the world No. 1 made a big move Friday, as Ko shot a six-under 65, which was the best round of the day. 

As seen in this rundown of Ko's scorecard courtesy of the LPGA, she came out of the gates firing and shot a ridiculous 29 on the front nine:

That 29 included the biggest highlight of the day, as she came through with a hole-in-one on No. 8.

It marked the first ace of Ko's life, and she had the following to say about how she felt after the landmark shot, per Mike McAllister of PGATour.com:

While Ko didn't seem to have any trouble with the conditions, she said following the round that the wind was somewhat difficult to deal with:

Like Ko, Piller handled the wind admirably as well, shooting a three-under 68 to put herself within two shots of the No. 1 podium spot.

Piller also did most of her damage on the front nine with four birdies and five pars, which put her in a tie for the lead temporarily. She played the back nine at just one over par, though, and a bogey on the 18th prevented her from sole possession of second place.

Despite the disappointment at the end of her round, Piller was pleased with how well she played, given the wind factor:

Piller's countrywoman Stacy Lewis entered the third round just one shot off the lead by virtue of an eight-under 63 in the second round that featured a remarkable 11 birdies.

Lewis' form dropped off in a big way Friday, however, as a five-over 76 left her in a tie for eighth and in dire need of a great round Saturday in order to reach the podium.

The third round was also a difficult one for Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn, who was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury, according to the LPGA.

Jutanugarn was the leader after one round of play, but as Jay Coffin of GolfChannel.com pointed out, she had major issues on the front nine Friday:

While golf tournaments are usually about the winner and nothing else, the battles for gold, silver and bronze will take center stage Saturday.

Park, Ko and Piller are in line to occupy the podium, while China's Feng Shanshan is one stroke off bronze-medal position at eight under.

There is a drop-off after that with three golfers at five under, which means extra attention will be paid to the final two groups, since there is a strong chance that all three medalists will come from them.

The chase for gold is of particular interest with Ko and Piller surging while Park stumbled on No. 18, but with a wealth of winning experience to her credit on the biggest stages in women's golf, Park has all the tools to hold off her hard-charging opponents.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

South Korea's Inbee Park will carry a one-shot lead into the third round of the women's golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after posting her second straight 66 on Thursday to reach 10 under par.  

The United States' Stacy Lewis is one stroke back after an outstanding day on the greens allowed her to card a tournament-best 63. She's followed by Charley Hull of Great Britain and Brooke Henderson of Canada, who are both two strokes off the pace.

Let's check out how the top 10 on the leaderboard shapes up after the second round at the Olympic Golf Course. To view a complete listing of scores from all 60 players, visit the Olympics' official site.

Lewis posted a nondescript one-under 70 in the opening round, but she was locked in from the opening tee Thursday. The 31-year-old American veteran carded four birdies in her first six holes en route to a 10-birdie day to skyrocket up the leaderboard.

One thing that's remained consistent over the past two weeks with both the men's and the women's tournament is that there are super-low scores available. The course isn't easy, but it's certainly fair and gettable for a player locked in on their approach shots.

That was the case for Lewis, who gave herself a look at birdie on just about every hole during the second round. Add in a hot putter and she quickly pushed herself firmly in contention.

Randall Mell of Golf Channel passed along comments from Lewis after the memorable round:

Park also continues to impress as she makes her return from a thumb injury. It was hard to know what to expect from the seven-time major champion, given all the time she's missed this season, but she's looked no worse for wear in the early going.

The South Korean star backed up a first-round 66 with the same score Thursday to put her in solo first heading into the third round. It's exactly the type of start she needed after opting to skip a couple of marquee events to ensure she'd be ready for Rio.

Geoff Shackelford of Golf Digest noted Park's previous remarks about how much winning this event would mean as golf returns to the Olympics after more than a century:

I've played and I've won a lot of the major championships, and obviously in the Olympic Games, you get to only do it once every four years, and golf in 112 years. So being able to be standing here representing South Korea in my golfing career is something very special and very meant to be. So very happy to be here. It's a huge honor, and like I said, it could be the highlight of my golfing career.

The second round didn't go nearly as smooth for Ariya Jutanugarn. The second-ranked player in the world led the tournament after the opening day of play, but she struggled to find that same consistency Thursday, which puts a little more pressure on her ahead of moving day.

As mentioned, this course is very reasonable if players find the fairway. The only real danger comes if a golfer gets out of position off the tee. The 20-year-old rising star from Thailand had too many of those moments in Round 2, including on the second hole, as Golf Channel highlighted:

Ultimately, Jutanugarn is still a contender at six under par through two days, especially since nobody has started to run away from the field. Her play during the early portion of Friday's round will be critical as she looks to bounce back from a lackluster Thursday, though.

The bigger picture shows 16 golfers within five strokes of the lead with 36 holes left. It sets the stage for a highly entertaining battle to the finish in Rio.

After all the questions and doubts, golf had its day at the 2016 Rio Games on Sunday, and it didn't disappoint.

Going right down to the last stroke, it was gripping entertainment as Team GB's Justin Rose narrowly saw off Henrik Stenson. The pair had been level at 15 under par heading into the 18th, but with Rose scoring a birdie and Swede Stenson a bogey, it proved enough for the Brit to seal a two-shot victory.

It makes Rose the first golf Olympic champion in over a century. Not since 1904 has the sport featured at the Games, and now that it's back, it seems foolish to have ever allowed it to go away.

Rio was treated to a rare sight at the Olympic Games. It was two of the biggest and most famous names in their sport going toe-to-toe for supremacy with the world watching.

Now, we're used to that across the board with all the Olympic sports. The Games are the pinnacle for so many of those who compete. But watching two massive figures in such a global sport has added to the depth of what these Games have to offer. Profile is everything, and golf has given that to the Olympics in 2016.

Had Rose's win been a certainty earlier in the day, we could be forgiven for allowing the focus to shift elsewhere. It would have felt like any other golf tournament outside of the majors. However, the Olympics really matters to golf and those who have taken part.

"That felt better than anything I've ever won. It was the best tournament I've ever done," Rose told BBC Sport just before he was presented with his gold medal—Britain's second on Day 9 where they ended up with an extra five in total added to their tally.

"Hopefully we've shown Brazil what golf is about. I'm glad it was close. Not for my nerves. For golf."

Indeed, it's the sense of drama and tension that has added to the game. Rose spoke of showing Brazil what golf is about; his performance and that of others has shown the Olympics what it's all about.

In this first week of competition, we saw something similar from rugby sevens. Like golf, the sport was new to the roster for Rio—although this was the first time sevens was ever an Olympic sport—and it captured the imagination.

Everything that sevens rugby is about was on show in Brazil. There were massive hits, phenomenal tries and no shortage of nail-biting action.

For Team GB's men, who won silver after losing to Fiji in the final, their route to contesting for gold was torture for their supporters. In the quarter-final, they drew 0-0 with Argentina and had to go to sudden death to decide a winner. In the semis, they narrowly defeated South Africa 7-5.

It was excellent. Watching sevens got the blood pumping and ensured there was no shortage of anxiety throughout the men's and women's competition.

Come the end of it all as Fiji claimed victory in the men's side of the draw and Australia for the women, rugby sevens felt very Olympian. It embodied everything we love about the Games and brought an added freshness to them. Witnessing something for the first time is special, and as sevens becomes more ingrained into the Olympic movement, we can only expect that to increase.

Both sevens and golf have made Rio feel unique. While the London Games carried a lot more swagger and panache, Rio is in the process of generating a new world feel about it. From the two new sports we've seen, the amount of history being made has all but hit the reset button.

It's as though the Olympics have remodelled themselves in the space of a week. The rule book from past years has been tossed; there are new heroes now, new powers in different sports where they were once considered minnows.

Take Team GB in gymnastics, where Max Whitlock won two golds within the space of an hour on Day 9, in the pommel horse and floor exercise. That was unheard of before for a British gymnast.

And here we are with sevens and golf at the heart of it all. The two newest sports on the roster are helping the Olympic Games innovate. They're making them feel relevant in 21st century, attracting new crowds.

What those two sports have done this week should send shock waves throughout the IOC's headquarters. Golf and rugby sevens have showed the Olympic power brokers that they can't be found to be resting on their laurels. They need to continue to push the boundaries and innovate in a world where, four years from now, technology and social trends would have changed significantly. That means the way we consume sport would have, too.

All sports must adapt with that, and as the IOC have learned by integrating golf and sevens, to attract new audiences and maintain interest, diversity is key.

When the Olympic Games land in Tokyo in 2020, we'll see baseball/softball, surfing, skateboarding, sports climbing and karate added. It hints that the IOC is getting the message.

For how they've helped change the Olympics in 2016, golf and sevens can't be ignored in helping deliver that.

Justin Rose became the first player in 112 years to win an Olympic gold medal in golf Sunday, shooting a fourth-round 67 to win by two shots and complete his run to the top of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics podium.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson engaged in a titanic duel with Rose on the final day of competition, but the Swede had to settle for a silver medal after recording a 68 on Sunday to finish 14 under par.

The BBC's Francis Keogh commented on the success of the golf tournament in Rio following an enthralling competition over the course of the past week:

The bronze medal went to Matt Kuchar, who ended his tournament three shots off the lead with an overall score of 13 under to give the United States another push toward the summit of the medal table.

Here's how the final leaderboard looked after Day 4 of the Rio golf tournament:

It's been three years since Rose triumphed in the 2013 U.S. Open, still the only major victory of his career to date, but an Olympic gold medal in golf is something no other living human can boast.

And Rose put the magnitude of his achievement into words after Sunday's win, calling it the most enjoyable feat of his career, per BBC Sport: "That felt better than anything I've ever won. It was the best tournament I've ever done. Hopefully we've shown Brazil what golf is about. I'm glad it was close. Not for my nerves. For golf."

Rose and Stenson were both among the last group, just behind Australia's Marcus Fraser, who capitulated on the final day with a score of 72, falling from gold-medal contender into a tie for fifth overall.

Back at the summit, Rose and Stenson went blow for blow in their showdown, and just as Rose sunk four birdies and a bogey on his front nine, his nearest opponent settled for a similar score fueled by three birdies.

The backstretch was where the competition really started to unfold, and after approaching the final few holes still level pegging, the prospect of a sudden-death matchup was in the cards.

Radio 5live presenter Mark Chapman joined Keogh in praising the tense action of golf's return to the Olympics, where the last two players went at it for all the marbles:

It went down to the wire, and Stenson was the first to blink on the 18th after Rose's birdie, missing the putt he needed to stay even and ensuring fans wouldn't be treated to a sudden-death decider, per the Golf Paper:

Rose's approach and chip onto the green on the 18th were deserving of the top prize, bagging Great Britain another memorable gold for their troubles.

It's been more than a century since golf was held at the Olympics, and Rose's victory ensured he'll take his seat in Summer Games history, as well as snag a gold in the process.

Although it wasn't good enough for a classier shade of medal, Kuchar did himself proud with a tournament-defining Day 4 display in Rio, as the official European Tour Twitter account touched on:

The American nevertheless helped add to his country's sum of medals, not to mention recording one of the lowest scores of the tournament altogether with his final-round 63.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters finished fourth, four shots behind Kuchar, while Rafa Cabrera Bello and Kiradech Aphibarnrat tied at eight under par to finish joint-fifth in the standings.   

With just 18 holes of golf remaining at the 2016 Olympics, Justin Rose holds a one-shot lead over Henrik Stenson after a strong 65 on Saturday.   

Marcus Fraser came into the third round holding a one-shot lead over Thomas Pieters, with Stenson hot on their heels. Fraser and Stenson remain in contention heading into the final round, but Pieters fell off the map with a six-over 77. 

Here's the leaderboard after the third round from Rio de Janeiro:

Full leaderboard via NBCOlympics.com. 

Rose was on top of his game right out of the gate, with a birdie on the first hole. He did stumble on No. 2 with a bogey, but he rebounded with two eagles on the next three holes and took the lead at 10 under. 

Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard amusingly pointed out why Rose had suddenly kicked things up a notch:

While he would not be an unlikely winner because he's had success in the not-too-distant past, including winning the U.S. Open in 2013, Rose has not won a PGA Tour event this season and has just five top-10 finishes in 15 tournaments.

As good as he was on Saturday, though, Stenson looks like the favorite to walk away with a gold medal heading into the final round. He finished the third round with a score of 68, which continues his trend of consistent success, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Rickie Fowler put together one of his best rounds of the year on Saturday. The 27-year-old entered the day as a non-factor at four over and needed a miracle if he was even going to get back to par, let alone have any shot at a medal. 

Whatever he changed overnight did the trick, as he carded a seven-under 64 that included a 29 on the front nine. 

Per ESPN Stats & Info, it's been a long time since Fowler has had a score that low in an official PGA Tour event:

It's also a stark contrast for Fowler, who elicited all sorts of negative comments for his early-round effort, including this from Dan Jenkins of Golf Digest:

Odds remain against his getting a medal because he's still six shots behind Fraser for third place, but showing he can go this low in a round does inspire confidence that he can get a victory on the PGA Tour before this year ends. 

Another player who shined on Saturday was Bubba Watson, who moved into a tie for fourth place after shooting a 67 that brought his total score to six under par. He did a lot of damage early, with four bogeys in the first five holes, and made it stick by shooting an even-par 36 on the back nine. 

The round was not always smooth sailing for Watson. On the 14th hole with a 30-foot birdie putt, he misjudged the angle of the green, causing his ball to travel about five feet and forcing him to settle for a bogey. 

Saturday's low scores certainly made things more interesting as the quest for medals in golf goes into its final phase. Rose is at the top of the heap thanks to his consistency over the first 54 holes.

Stenson remains hot on Rose's heels and has shown no signs of slowing down, not to mention breaking 70 in 17 of his last 21 rounds. Fraser is right in the mix for a gold, too, though he will need a better effort on Sunday to walk out of Rio with a medal of any kind. 

Fowler proved anyone can move himself back into contention in a hurry. The window is starting to close more rapidly with 18 holes left, so any moves made in the final round will need to happen quickly.

He may not have been a favorite to win any of the four major golf titles this year, but British Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden is listed as +575 chalk (bet $100 to win $575) to take home the gold medal in the men's golf tournament at the Rio Summer Olympics at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Golf has not been an Olympic sport since 1904, and the field competing for gold is somewhat limited due to the threat of the Zika virus.

Big names like Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth of the United States, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Jason Day of Australia chose not to participate in the 2016 Olympics because of health concerns—but Stenson is not the lone major winner to compete in Rio.

England’s Danny Willett won the Masters back in April, and he is +2200 to win gold behind eight other top contenders, including Stenson, the favorite.

Right behind the Swede in those Olympic odds is Spain’s Sergio Garcia, the +750 second choice; England’s Justin Rose (+1300); Americans Bubba Watson (+1400), Patrick Reed (+1400), Rickie Fowler (+1400) and Matt Kuchar (+1600); and Germany’s Martin Kaymer (+1600).

Of that group, Rose, Watson and Kaymer have all won majors on the PGA Tour.

Garcia is an intriguing golfer, considering he has never won a major. The pressure has always seemed to get the best of him, but perhaps the Summer Olympics could be less stressful for him. If that's the case, he might be able to finally come through when it matters the most.

Garcia missed the cut at the PGA Championship most recently and placed fifth in both the British Open and U.S. Open earlier this year. In addition, Reed, Fowler and Kuchar are interesting choices because they too have come close in majors only to fall short.

The Olympic tournament will get underway on Thursday at the Rio course built in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca. The format will be a 72-hole individual stroke play tourney following PGA rules, with a three-hole playoff then taking place if there are any ties for the first three places in order to award individual gold, silver and bronze medals.

Emiliano Grillo is experiencing a nightmare.

According to the Argentine golfer, delays with American Airlines could cost him his shot at participating in the Rio Olympics.

The airline apparently lost his clubs, and things aren't looking great:

The company reached out to him via Twitter, and Grillo wasn't exactly thrilled:

Luckily, Domino's didn't let him down:

Grillo is scheduled to compete at 6:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, so time is running out. Here's hoping he gets his shot.

In the meantime, keep an eye out:

[Twitter]