Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson’s battle for the gold medal was a heck of an opening act at the Olympics. And while the race for gold wasn’t nearly as exciting for the women, it was still an incredible two weeks in Rio for golf. There were plenty of concerns heading into the Games, but the top players rose to the occasion and it became clear early on that, yes, this was something bigger than another 72-hole, stroke-play event. In the end, six medals were handed out to six different countries – Great Britain, Sweden, the United States, Korea, New Zealand and China. Those who missed out on the podium were heartbroken when the realization hit that it would be another four years before they would get another chance. Both the men’s and women’s medal stands were filled with three of the top-15 players in the world. Both events benefitted from the major-championship pedigrees of their contenders. Who knows what the world will look like in 2020, but it’s highly unlikely Tokyo will resemble Rio. With great attendance in Rio and strong TV ratings, it would be very surprising not to see golf become a fixture at the Olympics, long past Tokyo in 2020.
MEDAL WINNERS GOLD SILVER BRONZE
Womens Inbee Park Lydia Ko Shanshan Feng
Korea New Zealand China
Mens Justin Rose Hendrik Stenson Matt Kuchar
Great Britain Sweden USA
