CARMEL, Ind. -- The gold medal has been by his side -- or in his golf bag or travel bag -- nearly every step, every mile, of the journey Justin Rose has taken from Rio de Janeiro to home in England and back to the United States for tournaments in New York, Boston and Indianapolis.
The reaction to his Olympic Golf Tournament victory last month has been overwhelming, Rose said, and he wouldn't trade any of it.
But the weight of that gold medal is dragging Rose down a bit during the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Rose would not go so far as to say he is dealing with an Olympic hangover after shooting 2-under-par 70 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in the second round of the BMW Championship on Friday. But he's clearly had difficulty putting his game back to the level it was at in Rio.
"You look at my performance, you can say I'm dragging,'' said Rose, who is tied for 53rd place and in danger of not qualifying for the Tour Championship in two weeks. "I focused on the majors. I focused on the Olympics. I'm happy to sacrifice this. That's the way it is. You can't be on all the time.
"I've not been fit, not been 100 percent. It's been an incredible year winning the gold medal, but I've not really been at my best all year. But at least I can look back on that.''
Rose's victory over Henrik Stenson was a compelling duel on the final day of the Olympic tournament, a battle of major champions that went down to the last hole. American Matt Kuchar took the bronze after shooting a final-round 63.
The aftermath turned into a feel-good story for golf, which had been plagued by indifference and negativity heading into the games.
Rose never had that attitude. He looked forward to the experience all year, and when a back injury surfaced in the spring, he turned his attention to getting healthy -- but he only competed in the U.S. Open, the WGC-Bridgestone and The Open prior to the Olympics.
Since winning the gold, he returned to a hero's welcome in the United Kingdom, where he said people wanting to see or touch the medal was "tenfold'' to that of the U.S. Open trophy when he won it in 2013.
"It surprised me for sure,'' Rose said. "It surprised me how many people watched, how much it's resonated here, how people seem so fired up about it, to be honest with you. Kooch has said the same thing. I earned a medal for Team GB, but everyone has been so complimentary about it here (in the United States), I can only imagine what it's been like for Kooch. Henrik felt the same way. It's been cool, it's been big; the reaction has been bigger than I had imagined.''
Rose began the FedEx Cup playoffs in 40th place -- he lost two spots while competing at the Olympics -- and in reasonable shape to move into the top 30 in order to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.
But despite a game that he says is right there, Rose has had difficulty putting it all together in the playoffs. He tied for 31st at the Barclays -- where Phil Mickelson got him to put the gold medal around his neck when he putted out on the final green.
Last week, Rose shot scores of 68, 67 and 69 at the Deutsche Bank Championship and was in good position, before a horrific back nine on Monday saw him shoot 79. He dropped to a tie for 57th place and fell to 50th position in the FedEx Cup standings.
Through two rounds at Crooked Stick Golf Club, he is projected 55th and needs a big weekend to move into the top 30. Otherwise, he won't make it to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2009.
"Atlanta is a bittersweet thing right now,'' he said. "I really want to be in Atlanta. It's looking unlikely at the moment. But the silver lining of that would be the extra week off for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a long week. So it's not the end of the world if I don't make it.''
Rose said it's difficult for the Ryder Cup not to be on his mind at this point. He noted the comments from spectators, such as, "Take it easy on us this year'' -- a reference to Europe having won the past three Ryder Cups.
"They're more playful, boisterous,'' he said. "It's been fun. It does build up around this time of year.''
Rose would love nothing more than to take some momentum to Hazeltine National for the Ryder Cup, and to do that, he needs to make it to Atlanta. A couple of low rounds are necessary.
Short of that, Rose will use the time off to regroup and recharge. And he'll have more time to stare at the gold medal, which won't provide the monetary rewards of a trip to the Tour Championship but should suffice for inspiration.
