Rose and Stenson in medal hunt

RYDER Cup partners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson will head into the final round of the first Olympic golf competition since 1904 in the gold and silver medal positions.

Rose, who combined with Open champion Stenson to win all three of their matches at Gleneagles in 2014, carded a third round of 65 in Rio to finish a shot ahead of the Swede, with Australia’s Marcus Fraser two shots further back.

The 36-year-old began the day four shots off Fraser’s lead at Reserva de Marapendi but vaulted to the top of the leaderboard thanks to two eagles in the space of three holes.

After following a birdie on the first with a bogey on the second, Rose chipped in from 25 yards for an eagle on the short par-four third and then holed from 18 feet for another on the par-five fifth.

That took the world No 12 into the lead and he moved two clear with another birdie on the 12th before rebounding from a bogey on the 14th with birdies at the next two holes.

“It would mean an awful lot to win, especially when you see what it means to other athletes here,” Rose said. “It would be unbelievable.”

Stenson also eagled the fifth in between dropped shots on the fourth and eighth, before three birdies on the back nine gave the 40-year-old a 68 and boosted his chances of adding a gold medal to the Claret Jug he won in recordbreaking fashion at Royal Troon.

Asked what he would tell the players who opted out of the Games – including the world’s top four of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy – Rose added: “I would just tell them I had a great time, a positive experience and a lot of fun. It’s a unique experience and something you should be able to make room for in your schedule once every four years.”