Team GB’s Justin Rose reveals why going to the Olympics is like his fairway to heaven
England's multi-millionaire golfer is even ready to foresake his usual five-star luxury and stay in the Olympic Village
RORY McILROY might not care about Olympic golf but Justin Rose is determined to relish every minute of his Rio adventure.
The 2013 US Masters winner will be one of the highest ranked stars in Brazil next month after McIlory and a host of other top 10 players withdrew from the competition.
McIlory said this week that he won’t even watch the golf on TV but Englishman Rose said: “Being part of Team GB is something to be proud of and something I want to take on board.
“I want to take it all in, which means being part of the opening ceremony and spending a couple of days in the Olympic Village if at all possible.
“I’ve never been to an Olympic Games so being a spectator for the first day or two will help to inspire me in terms of the occasion and give me a scale of what the Olympics is all about.”
Rose, 35, has been selected to represent Team GB along with Danny Willett, Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull.
He revealed that his favourite Olympic moment was the 100 metres final at Barcelona 1992 and said: “Olympic Crispy, which is what I called Linford Christie when I was a young kid.
“That 100m final was my earliest memory and in more recent times I’ve got Usain Bolt with his cool celebration and Mo Farah and the Mobot.
“I don’t have a celebration of my own, but I’m sure we can come up with something creative in the next couple of weeks.”
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World No 11 Rose admitted that his main priority remains winning his first Open this week but said: “If you fast forward 10 years, I’d like my career resume to read ‘multiple Major champion and Olympic gold medallist’.
“I know Andy Murray has his tennis Grand Slams and his gold medal and I think he would put them in different columns but regard them both as huge achievements.”
Rose’s Olympic confirmation came as the chief executive of the Ladies’ European Tour hit out at McIlroy and the other top stars who have used the Zika virus as an excuse to withdraw from the Olympics.
Ivan Khodabakhsh blasted: “The top male golfers have let down the rest of the sport very badly.
“The opportunity to do something for the broader good of the game is in their hands and they seem to be taking a very myopic approach.”
But Jamie Spence, team manager of GB’s Olympic golf team, countered: “He is entitled to say what he wants, but I’m not in charge of worldwide golf. I’m here to represent Team GB.
“It would have been great for golf if all of the top 10 were in Rio and obviously I’m disappointed that is not going to happen.
“Jack Nicklaus said he would walk to Rio to play in the Olympics and I feel the same way.
“But hopefully golf will follow tennis’s lead and eventually we will get a stronger Olympic representation, and when we get to Tokyo in 2020 everyone will manage to turn up and play.”