RIO DE JANEIRO -- From the top step of the podium, Justin Rose bowed his head as the Olympic gold medal was placed around his neck, and he stared at it for the longest time.Even for a major champion, this was more than he ever imagined.Its a moment youve seen in many other sports, Rose said. The medal ceremony is what its all about, really.This was why the 36-year-old Englishman circled the Rio Games on his calendar all along, even as some of the biggest names in golf began pulling out. Rose came to Rio to watch, and to win.And when his turn came Sunday, he delivered a gold-medal performance worthy of a 112-year wait.The final round was so tense that no one led by more than one shot until Rose hit a 40-yard pitch to 3 feet, a shot every bit as significant as the 4-iron from 229 yards on the 18th hole at Merion when he won the 2013 U.S. Open.The birdie gave him a 4-under 67 and a two-shot victory over Henrik Stenson to win golfs first gold medal since 1904 in St. Louis.Matt Kuchar of the United States closed with a 63 to win the bronze.How big was golf in the Olympics?Ive never been so happy with a third-place finish in my life, Kuchar said.And then there was Rose.As the final putt fell into the cup, he thrust his fist into the air and popped the British crest on his shirt before turning to embrace Stenson. He raised both arms, pumped his fist again and took a bow.The reality is incredible. The reality hasnt sunk in, Rose said. The whole week, Ive been so focused. Ive been so into it. Ive been up for it. Ive been just so determined, I suppose, to represent Team GB as best as I could. And it was just the most magical week.Stenson already faced one duel this summer at Royal Troon to win the British Open with the lowest score in major championship history. Deep in the round, the Swede said his spine locked up on him. He was stretching on all fours on the 13th and a physiotherapist worked on him at the 14th, where a poor chip cost him the lead. Stenson kept firing away, however, tying Rose with a pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the 16th.They were tied coming to the final hole, fans lining both sides of the fairway, exactly the moment and atmosphere golf needed to make a good impression on the International Olympic Committee.Stensons pitch from 50 yards came up short, just over 20 feet away, and then Rose delivered what amounted to the winner. Knowing that Rose was in tight for birdie, Stenson rammed his birdie putt some 7 feet by the cup and missed the par putt, giving him a 3-under 68.He made a birdie and I didnt, and thats why hes got a gold medal and I got a silver, Stenson said.Its not nearly as valuable as his silver claret jug from Royal Troon, but still special.We said that all along in the Olympics, youve got some pretty good consolation prizes, Stenson said.Rose is the first gold medalist in golf since George Lyon of Canada won against a field of mostly Americans.Golf organizations lobbied hard to get the sport back into the Olympics, only for some of the biggest stars -- including the top four in the world -- to withdraw in the month leading up to the Rio Games for reasons that ranged from fears over the Zika virus to security.Padraig Harrington referred to them as sheep for following each other out of Olympics. The 60 players who came, dressed in their country colors and team bags -- and three medals at the end of the week -- showed what the absentees were missing.This is one of the greatest golf trips Ive ever been on, said Bubba Watson, who had planned to stay in private housing until moving into the Olympic Village on Tuesday because he didnt want to miss out on the experience.Even better was seeing a teammate make his way to the medal stand.Were asked to play for our country and he pulled us through today, Watson said. Im so proud he got the bronze.The lasting memory of golfs return was Rose and Stenson going toe-to-toe for more than five hours before a sellout crowd (capped at 12,000 tickets), neither with more than a one-stroke advantage until it was over. And there was Rose at the end, wildly pumping fists as British fans waved the Union Jack around the 18th green.He won the U.S. Open at Merion three years ago. Rose said he always wanted his career to be remembered for multiple majors.But lets just call it major champion and Olympic gold medalist, Rose said. Id be a very, very happy man. Colorado Rockies Shirts . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Rockies Jerseys 2020 . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Cheap Rockies Jerseys . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Colorado Rockies Store . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Bengal v Uttar Pradesh, Calcutta, 1997-98I was aware that people were talking about my performances and how I was hyped as a big star from Uttar Pradesh about to play for India even before I made my Ranji Trophy debut. In 1996, I had been part of India Under-15s World Cup final win over Pakistan. I had played the Under-19 World Cup in 1998 in South Africa. I had made decent runs for UP Under-19s. Yet, I felt breaking into the Ranji Trophy squad would be tough and I had to work much harder.At the time, I was in the youth hostel in Kanpur, sharing a room with five others. Your reputation didnt matter there - if you were a junior, you would be ragged. One night, before the ragging session, my room-mates and I decided to turn the lights off and not open the door even if someone knocked. We hoped they would go away after seeing the lights off. Predictably in the night, there was a knock on the door. We didnt open the door for fifteen minutes. After a while, I realised it must be something important and opened the door. It was the warden, who informed me of my selection for the Ranji Trophy match against Bengal in Calcutta. We didnt have mobile phones or internet then, so the association had sent the message through our hostel warden.Soon after I was picked, I called my father from a telephone booth. He told me one thing: Remember, this is UP. To shine here, you have to fight your way through. If someone makes 100, you have to make 175. Even if you make 101, it may not be enough.The next day at training, everyone was talking about playing in Calcutta, but I didnt understand the significance. I didnt really know about the history of Eden Gardens or how special it was for an Indian cricketer to play there. So I didnt understand what the fuss was. Only before we left for the match, we were told this match was to be played at tthe Calcutta Cricket and Football ground.ddddddddddddI had batted at No. 3 for most of my junior days, and so was told to bat in the same position on my debut. I remember walking out and being taunted by the opposition. I didnt understand every word of it, but it was something on the lines of Hes made runs in junior cricket; lets see what he does here. Every minute spent there was torture. Finally, I was out nicking to Saba Karim for 11. While walking back, I wondered if I would get another chance, because in UP the culture was such that if you had to work your way up the system you would get just one chance, and I had missed the chance.I was surprised when I was picked for the next game, which was a quarter-final against Haryana. Our opener Rakesh Sharma was off the field and couldnt open the batting. Our coach Venkat Sundaram went around asking the other players if they would open, but didnt get a favourable response. He was furious. I was sitting in a corner when he asked me, Chhotu, open karega?. I immediately said Yes. I went out and made a century. That made me feel I belong. Thats when I realised, however hard it was for me in the dressing room to mingle with the group, especially the senior players, you are your own man on the field. If you score runs there, it doesnt matter what happens in the dressing room.Maybe I survived my debut season because I had my elder brother Mohammad Saif also playing around the same time. So I used to feel a little comfortable that there was someone I could talk to. Musi Raza, my room-mate, was also in and around the fringes of the team. These two helped me in my debut season, because of which I became a much better player. As told to Shashank Kishore ' ' '