The Loop
Justin Rose breaks out Olympic gold medal for final putt at the Barclays
Just two weeks removed from winning the first gold medal in golf in 112 years, Justin Rose returned to the PGA Tour for the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Preparing for the first playoff tournament, the Barclays at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., Rose talked about traveling with the medal.
"Much easier to travel with than a normal trophy," he said prior to the tournament. "You can just kind of slip it in your pocket and then carry on. So yeah, it is traveling with me, yeah, so it's around. Maybe it's something that I can keep in the golf bag or pop in the locker or something. It's a unique and iconic thing, Olympic gold."
Rose clearly kept it nearby, with caddie Mark Fulcher walking it over to him to wear for his final putt on Sunday. Though it was a lackluster tournament for him, finishing at just even par and 10 strokes off the lead at the time, he made the most out of it by whipping out the gold medal to a thunderous crowd reaction on the 18th green.
And it looks like playing partner Phil Mickelson may have been the most excited out of all. Mickelson went over to shake his hand immediately, and as Rose took the medal off his neck, Phil seemingly convinced him to keep it on.
"You have to do it," said Mickelson after the round. "What's the whole point of winning the gold medal? You've gotta flaunt it, right?"
So, Rose slipped it back over his head and waved to the fans as he walked off the green with a wide smile.