Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson in lead chase for Olympic gold
RIO DE JANEIRO — Major champions and European Ryder Cup partners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson put themselves in prime position Saturday to stand next to each other on the medal stand on Sunday.
Great Britain’s Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, fired a 6-under-par 65 on the sun-splashed Olympic Golf Course to move to 12 under through 54 holes and one shot in front of Sweden’s Stenson, the reigning British Open champion who shot 68.
Three back is Australian Marcus Fraser (72) while two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson (67) of the U.S. is in a group of three tied for fourth six shots in back of Rose.
Matt Kuchar, at 5 under after a 69, is the No. 2 American on the board. Rickie Fowler shot the day’s lowest round — a 64 — to move to 3 under. Patrick Reed fell back to 1 over after a 73.
“Obviously I felt like (Saturday) was an important day,” Rose said. “There were a lot of players obviously in contention after (Friday), and I felt like (Saturday) could be a day to separate or at least keep some momentum and not give yourself too much work to do tomorrow.
“This tournament has been very, very special and very, very different for all of us. You're always very aware of you're in the gold position and the silver and bronze position and after that, it doesn't mean a whole lot.”
Rose and Stenson were 3-0-0 as a team in the 2014 Ryder Cup which European won. They also were neighbors at Lake Nona in Florida before Rose moved to the Bahamas.
“Playing with Henrik will be great. He's obviously a good friend of mine. I think there's a lot of mutual respect between the two of us, and quite clearly we're both wanting the same thing tomorrow,” Rose said. “We'll just go about our business as we do and congratulate whoever wins.”
Stenson said he is mentally tired after his win in Scotland and then finishing tied for seventh in the PGA Championship.
“I came here to try and put myself in position, and three quarters of the way, I think I've done that. Pleased with the first three days' work,” said Stenson, who at No. 5 in the world is the highest ranked player in the field of 60. “In my mind, we're still going for one thing. Even though the consolation prizes might be better here than some other events in a way, it's still the No. 1 spot that I'm looking for and I'm going to try my hardest to make that happen. It's been a long and tiring stretch for me the last month, so I'm just going to try and squeeze whatever I have left in the tank for the final 18.
“ … Of course it would be nice to leave with a medal. Everyone that has a chance to win a medal wants to have the one that's a bit more yellow than the other ones.”
BEST IMAGES FROM AUG. 13 AT THE OLYMPICS