RIO DE JANEIRO -- A week of Olympic golf that went well above expectations came to a fitting conclusion Sunday, as Justin Rose made the clutch shot in the end and lustily celebrated his winning birdie putt and the gold medal that comes with it.There wont be a seven-figure check or FedEx Cup points or ramifications for the Ryder Cup. There is no jug or jacket or strength-sapping trophy.But that gold medal will do just fine.As will being called an Olympic champion.It sounds absolutely incredible, said Rose, 36, who won the 2013 U.S. Open and will go to 10th in the world with his victory. I was on that last green just sort of pinching myself. I was thinking back to that quote that I had given about the Olympics all along.I hope my résumé one day will read: multiple major champion. But lets just call it major champion and Olympic gold medalist. Id be a very, very happy man.Who knew that golfers who earn millions and fly on private planes and stay in lavish accommodations and command huge appearance fees and can make a kings ransom for a corporate outing could get emotional over playing for a medal?That was the knock on golf, which has its four major championships every year, the games pinnacle. The Olympics were derided, considered not necessary. Perhaps in some ways that is correct; the majors remain the standard, and it will be a long time before the Olympics could be considered on the same level.But this always required taking a longer view. Lking at the big picture. Recognizing how this might impact golfers in non-golfing nations, how kids might be inspired to take up golf to purse Olympic glory. And maybe, giving back to the game in some way.Olympic golf found an unlikely ambassador in Bubba Watson, who couldnt have been happier for a guy who tied for eighth.Were so blessed, Watson said. When you lk at these other countries, and these athletes that train for years, not just hours, years, and they got 30 seconds or they got a minute or they got under 10 seconds ...And I get to show up at Augusta every year from now on because I won [the Masters] there. So it is humbling, for sure. This is the greatest thing Ive ever done. Im so honored and pleased that they let me represent the U.S.Watson couldnt make the charge he needed, but Olympic golf turned out to be incredible, and a sun-splashed day on the Olympic Golf Course only added to the vibe. The grandstands were packed, fans lined the fairways waving flags, cheering and chanting throughout the final round.Rose, of Great Britain, shot 67. Stenson had 68. American Matt Kuchar rallied with a 63 to snag the bronze medal and briefly flirted with contention for the gold.It wasnt exactly the Duel in the Sun of four weeks ago at Royal Trn, when Stenson held off Phil Mickelson to win his first major championship and win the Claret Jug.And yet it was compelling just the same, the two major champions battling back and forth all day, surging out in front, tied coming to the par-5 18th, and Stenson finally blinking -- hitting an indifferent pitch shot that left him some 18 feet from the cup, Rose knocking his stiff to set up the winning birdie.I just said today that I had to out-Stenson Stenson, Rose said. I knew I wasnt going to get much from him at all. Obviously the bogey at the last only came because he had to force the putt in.But he is unbelievable. Hes relentless and a great player, and I cant wait to be on the same team as him in the Ryder Cup. Hes a great player and hes a great friend, and I just gave him a hug on the 18th green. Hes as gracious as ever.I just said to him, Great summer, winning The Open championship, I was so pleased for him. Theres a lot of players, majors come and go, guys win them. But almost when youre a professional golfer, very few guys are you really genuinely, genuinely happy for, and Henrik is one of them.Stenson, 40, was indeed gracious, commending Rose for the shot he hit on the 18th to set up the winning birdie. A final-round 68 is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but it undoubtedly will sting for a bit. He dearly wanted to win this tournament, add it to The Open title, and he came ever so close.He will undoubtedly lk back on a summer in which he won The Open, contended at the PGA Championship and came to the final green with a shot at the gold medal, with a silver medal an excellent consolation.Of course, when youre in gd position to try and win, you always kind of feel a little disappointed afterwards, said Stenson, who bogeyed the last when he ran his birdie putt well past the hole -- one he knew he needed to make to force a playoff. But at the same time, we said that all along in the Olympics, youve got some pretty gd consolation prizes.I guess if you would have asked me before the week, I would have left here with a medal, I would have been pretty pleased and I managed to do that. Im quite happy. I didnt feel like I played my absolute best throughout the week, but I played gd enough to put myself in contention and that was my goal.It is fitting that the medal-winners were all invested in the Olympics. Never did any of them express doubt or concern about competing, a common occurrence in the lead-up to the Games. There were 21 golfers who were eligible to compete in this tournament and passed up a spot, including the top four in the world: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.It was Spieths agonizing decision on the eve of The Open to not participate that created rm for Kuchar, who just a week ago wasnt even aware of the format. But he admitted he was hoping players would withdraw, and he tk advantage of what turned out to be a bronzed opportunity.I couldnt be more proud, said Kuchar, who narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 18th for a career-best 62. Its really hard to describe the feeling, the pride that I have, whether its in myself, whether its in my country. To come out to play an amazing round of golf and to know that it would take an amazing round of golf to medal, I couldnt be happier.Nobody, of course, walked away happier than Rose, who has had a frustrating year dealing with a back injury and had failed to win all season. Now he has the glow of an Olympic champion.How that impacts his legacy is a discussion for another day and might need more time to determine. But there is no denying that Rose wanted to be here, that competing with passion mattered to him, and he prevailed.Ive been so focused, really, to be honest with you, he said. Ive been so into it. Ive been so up for it. Ive just been so determined to represent Team GB as best as I could. And it was just the most magical week.Dennis Byrd Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. 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While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April.NEW YORK -- Sindarius Thornwell scored 16 points and South Carolina never trailed in its 64-50 victory over No. 18 Syracuse on Saturday in the Brklyn Hps Holiday Invitational at Barclays Center.Thornwell shot 3 of 6 from the field and made 9 of 10 free throws. He also had six rebounds, five assists, three steals and was named the MVP of the Invitational.Mike Kotsar also had 16 points for South Carolina (6-0), which shot 45 percent (23 of 51). PJ Dozier added 15 and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who gave up 12 of the first 18 rebounds but finished with a 37-30 margin on the glass.Tyler Lydon led the Orange (4-1) with a season-high 18 points. Andrew White III and Frank Howard added 10 points apiece.It was the second time in three seasons South Carolina knocked off a Top 25 team in Brklyn. On Jan. 2, 2014, the Gamecocks had a 64-60 victory over No. 9 Iowa State.The Gamecocks had enough offense and has continued getting wins with its lockdown defense. After holding No. 25 Michigan to 19.2 percent shting Wednesday, South Carolina limited the Orange to 31.8 percent, had 12 steals and forced 17 turnovers.Though South Carolina had some fans in the crowd, the game was played in front of a mostly pro-Syracuse crowd. Those fans tried to replicate the noise at the Carrier Dome by constantly being on their feet and counting down 5,4,3,2,1 to distract South Carolina into thinking the shot clock was winding down.The noise only worked on a limited basis for Syracuse.Lydon hit a 3-pointer with 17:05 remaining to get Syracuse within 40-32. While running back on defense, he clapped his hands emphatically imploring the orange-clad fans to make even more noise. Following a defensive stop, Lydon had another basket forcing South Carolina to call time out.Two free throws by White cut the deficit to 47-43 with 119 remaining but the Orange had Howard miss four free throws and Lydon miss an open 3-pointer. The drought ended when White hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-46 withh about 6 1/2 minutes left and the noise level from the Syracuse fans increased again.ddddddddddddFollowing Whites 3-pointer, the Gamecocks gradually restored the double-digit lead they held late in the first half. South Carolina tk a 57-47 lead on a basket by Kotsar with about 3 minutes left and finished off the win at the free throw line, much to the delight of its fans who chanted Gamecocks, Gamecocks.BIG PICTURE:South Carolina: South Carolinas defense continued to hold teams to low shting percentages and it could make the Gamecocks difficult to play against for other SEC teams. The Gamecocks have held teams under 40 percent in each of their six games.Syracuse: Lydon can take over at times and did not disappoint for at least the two NBA scouts in attendance to watch him.POLL IMPLICATIONS:The Gamecocks were not one of 16 teams to receive any Top 25 votes last week. That should change after South Carolina remained unbeaten with wins over No. 25 Michigan and No. 18 Syracuse.Syracuse will likely stay in the poll though it is unlikely the Orange will remain at No. 18. Out of the teams behind them in the poll, Baylor and Iowa State remained undefeated with tournament wins and likely will move ahead of the Orange in the next poll.HONORING PEARL WASHINGTON: Before the national anthem, there was a moment of silence of former Syracuse guard Dwayne Pearl Washington, who died of brain cancer on April 20. Syracuse is the midst of a 31-day campaign to honor Washingtons memory. The campaign culminates Dec. 17 when Syracuse hosts former Big East rival Georgetown. Before his three seasons at Syracuse from 1983 to 1986, Washington attended Boys and Girls High Schl, which is located about 2 1/2 miles east of Barclays Center.UP NEXT:South Carolina hosts Vermont on Dec. 1.Syracuse is at No. 16 Wisconsin on Tuesday in ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys [us