Rose hole-in-one makes Olympics history

Brit lies tied 4th as his hole-in-one makes Olympics history on the 4th

Rose hole-in-one makes Olympics history
Justin Rose celebrates his hole-in-one on the 4th hole of the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro. Credit; Getty Images
(Image credit: Ross Kinnaird)

The British golfer lies In a tie for 4th as his hole-in-one makes Olympics history on the191-yard par-3 4th hole

Who is leading after round one? Marcus Fraser (Australia). The 38-year-old European Tour player who is ranked 90th in the world birdied five of the first six holes and shot 63. This is his lowest round since the second round of the 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open.

Defending the title: Canadian George Lyon won gold in 1904 in St Louis and his countryman Graham DeLaet set the early pace in Rio with four consecutive birdies starting at the 3rd hole. DeLaet finished with 66 and is tied in 2nd with Henrik Stenson, the highest-ranked player in the field.

Shot of the day: Justin Rose makes history by becoming the first golfer to make a hole-in-one at the Olympic Games. He did so on the 191-yard 4th hole at the Olympic Course.

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British medal chances: Rose is in a five-way tie in 4th position having returned a 67. Danny Willett is level par, which places him firmly in the middle of the field.

Are Irish eyes smiling? Padraig Harrington began badly with a bogey on the highly birdieable par-5 opener, but four birdies and two further bogeys left him under par on 70 and is T17. Seamus Power carded a level-par 71 and is in a share of 27th position.

Do the top players care? Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington interviewed after his round said: "I was as nervous on the first tee as I was teeing off in my first Major or playing at St Andrews or Augusta. I said to my playing partners when we finished - now we are Olympians and no-one can take that away from us. Most weeks there are 156 players and only one winner. This week there are 60 players and we are all winners."

The rank outsiders: Our five not-really-to-follow did creditably considering they were the golfers that the bookies expected to fill positions 56 to 60 on Sunday night. Admittedly Rodolfo Cazaubon and Siddikur Rahman are indeed in the bottom five at present; but SSP Chawrasia lies tied in 27th, Roope Kakko is in the T34 spot and Danny Chia is tied in 41st.

Roderick Easdale

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.