Canadians on outside looking in at Olympic men's golf tournament
Saskatchewan's Graham DeLaet sits 10 shots behind Justin Rose of Britain
By The Associated Press
Canadians have some catching up to do if they hope to land an Olympic medal in men's golf in Rio.
Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., sits 10 shots behind leader Justin Rose entering the final round of play. The 34-year-old is three-under par after three rounds, while 37-year-old David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., has a score of plus-three.
DeLaet shot a 74 Saturday and is currently the closest Canadian in contention, tied for 22nd overall.
Meanwhile, Rose is one round away from winning golf's first gold medal in 112 years. He was at 12-under 201.
"It's like all the other sports," said Rose. "You work really hard to get into the final, and tomorrow is about a great performance and bringing your best golf when you need it. I have the opportunity, and tomorrow is going to be fun."
The Brit made two eagles in the opening five holes and shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to build a one-shot lead over British Open champion Henrik Stenson, who had a 68.
Crocodile sighting in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Golf?src=hash">#Golf</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SWE?src=hash">#SWE</a> Henrik Stenson is a brave man. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rio2016?src=hash">#Rio2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/JAoL0ve2RK">https://t.co/JAoL0ve2RK</a> <a href="https://t.co/SGetLiws3W">https://t.co/SGetLiws3W</a>
—@CBCOlympicsFor all the talk about the number of top players who chose not to play in golf's return to the Olympics, the sport couldn't have asked for a better final round. Stenson is the highest-ranked player (No. 5) at Olympic Golf Course. Rose is a former U.S. Open champion at No. 12 in the world.
Marcus Fraser of Australia, who led after the opening two rounds, shot 72 and was three shots out of the lead. Bubba Watson got back into the mix with a 67.
"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would come to the Olympics and compete, and now all of a sudden I have a chance of winning a medal," said Fraser. "It feels like I'm going to wake up from this dream at some point. Hopefully, tomorrow I can go out there and play a bit better than I did today"
The last golfer to win Olympic gold was Canadian George Lyon at the 1904 St. Louis Games.
With files from CBC Sports, The Canadian Press