RIO DE JANEIRO -- The moment felt as historic as it gets in womens golf.Stacy Lewis won the Womens British Open at St. Andrews with a birdie-birdie finish, the last one set up by a classic links shot when she used a putter from 40 yards short of the green to get through the famous Valley of Sin.She was beaming as she posed with the trophy on the 18th green at the Home of Golf.And that was the last she saw of it.They take your picture, and then they take it from you, and you get a three-quarter sized replica in the mail, Lewis said Tuesday morning.She laughed at the memory from 2013, and there was a point behind it as Lewis prepared for what she considers the biggest opportunity of her career.Olympic medals are forever.After you win a medal, what do you do? You take it home with you, Lewis said. You dont ever have to give it back.One week of golfs most excellent Olympic adventure hasnt solved the question that has lingered over the sport even before it was allowed back into the Olympic family, at least through the Tokyo Games in 2020.Is it the pinnacle of sport? Is Olympic gold more valuable than Augusta green?That no longer seems relevant.Justin Rose was in the best position to provide an answer because he now has one of each -- the silver U.S. Open trophy from Merion in 2013, an Olympic gold medal from his victory Sunday at Olympic Golf Course that came down to the very last shot.There is no comparison, and there doesnt need to be.I think they should live in separate columns and different worlds, Rose said. Obviously, major championships right now have all the history. But I feel like this was an opportunity not to be missed. I feel like it resonated far wider than maybe my U.S. Open victory.Golf careers are not defined by the Olympics. Not yet. Probably not ever.It was not part of the Olympic program when Bobby Jones was feted with a ticker-tape parade in New York for his impregnable quadrilateral of winning the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1930. There was no talk of Olympic gold when Arnold Palmer cooked up the notion of the modern Grand Slam in 1960, or when Jack Nicklaus set the gold standard in golf with his 18 professional majors.Thats too much history to catch.Golf has been its own tiny village, and it was invited into a much larger world of sport in Rio, where all athletes are respected equally.If anything, golfers had to earn their place.Padraig Harrington couldnt wait to see table tennis when he arrived at the Olympics, and he was asked if he considered table tennis players to be athletes.Ive never questioned whether a table tennis player is an athlete. I believe they are. Fantastic athletes, he said. I would even put them before golf. You dont see too many overweight, smoking table tennis players.Rose didnt show up at Olympic Golf Course, work on his putting and chipping, post the lowest score over 72 holes and go home with the golden prize. He took in the full Olympic experience. He felt part of the British nation of athletes and wanted to do his part. He was among five British athletes to win gold on Sunday. His appeal went beyond golf, beyond sport, to an Olympic audience that reaches all corners of the globe.So many other Olympians dont have the Masters or the PGA Championship to look forward to next year. One mistake, one false start, one slip and the next chance at glory is four years.Thats made golfers appreciate what they have.We should never complain again, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson said. Were always going to complain about three-putts, but we should never complain about what we have and what we dont have and all these things. Were so blessed. When you look 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 ten seconds. And I get to show up at Augusta every year from now on because I won there.So its humbling, for sure, he said. This is the greatest thing Ive ever done.And he didnt even leave with a medal.Rose did, and his biggest dilemma is what to do with his Olympic gold.Maybe Ill get a little mannequin with a podium jacket for it, he said.He only knew he didnt have to give it back. David Ortiz Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Matt Barnes Jersey . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. https://www.cheapredsox.com/1591z-koji-uehara-jersey-red-sox.html . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Ted Williams Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Clay Buchholz Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Paul Gallen sees a NSW dynasty on the horizon just as he prepares to say goodbye to State of Origin.As Queensland captain Cameron Smith praised him as one of the greatest ever Blues players despite being on the wrong end of 10 series wins from the Maroons in 11 seasons, Gallen is optimistic about NSWs future.Laurie Daley will blood his seventh and eighth debutants in James Tedesco and Wade Graham in Wednesdays game three dead rubber.Gallen believes that pair and the likes of potential future Blues Josh Jackson and Jake and Tom Trbojevic can finally help break Queenslands stranglehold on interstate rugby league.And when the Maroons golden generation that includes Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis move on, it will only make that task more achievableI think they can get on top of them over the next couple of years and hopefully have a dynasty of their own going forward, Gallen said.Ill be sitting in the stands cheering them on.Gallens Cronulla teammate Jack Bird is another player who could be instrumental for the Blues success for years to come as the Sharks skipper conceded victory on Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium was vital for NSW.Yeah, Jack Bird. Josh Jacksons a terrific kid. These TTrbojevic boys that have been in training, I cant speak highly enough of them, theyre great young players as well, Bird said.ddddddddddddI was having a chat to Jacko the other day and I told him I cant wait until this turns. I hope it turns in Wednesday night and gives us some confidence going forward.Queensland do have some good young players coming through but I think NSW have got the next good crop of Origin players coming through.Gallen has been a central figure on the other side of the ledger during Queenslands current period of unprecedented dominance.But Smith had nothing but praise for his opposite who has always ensured the Blues were highly competitive under his captaincy.You would have to go off his performance rather than his results. Every time I have played against him he has given his all and that is all anyone can ask from him, Smith said.Thats why he has been able to keep that jumper for so long. There are plenty of young props and locks running around and he has kept them out. He would be right up there with some of the best forwards. He is a special player, no doubt. ' ' '
