The Argentine duo of Emiliano Grillo and Fabian Gomez came up short of a medal in golf's return to the Olympics, but the pair proved worthy against an international field of elite-level golfers.
Although there was no team competition in these Summer Games for golf -- it has, however, been mentioned as a possibility for the 2020 Olympics in Toyko -- Grillo and Gomez combined to shoot 12 under, which would have placed them fourth among countries if the Rio Olympics has used each nation's two best scores for the week.
"I've got an Olympic diploma," said Grillo, who broke par all four rounds in Rio, shooting scores of 70-69-68-70. "Eighth place is not what I came here looking for, but ... it is what it is."
Gomez's final-round 69 pushed him to 5 under for the week. He posted rounds of 70-67-73 over the first three days and finished tied for 15th.
"I knew I would have the chance to fight for a medal on Sunday," said the 37-year-old Gomez. "The bronze was up for grabs at one moment, and I was playing well. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish strong."
In total, four countries placed at least two golfers in the top 15 in the final leaderboard, including Grillo and Gomez for Argentina. The others were Sweden (Henrik Stenson and David Lingmerth), Spain (Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Sergio Garcia) and the United States (Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed).
The turning point for Grillo on Sunday came at the par-3 eighth hole. After hitting his tee shot inside of 13 feet, he proceeded to 4-putt for double-bogey. Even though he bounced back with a birdie on the next hole, the damage was done and his chances at even a bronze medal ended.
The highlight of the day for the 23-year-old Grillo came at the par-4 15th hole, where he chipped in for birdie from 30 yards off the green.
As for what lies ahead, Grillo is already looking forward to his next Olympic opportunity.
"Some good players didn't come, but other very good ones did; just look at the three medalists," he said. "The Olympics experience was great. Can't wait for Tokyo."
