Nadal reaches quarters; DeLaet leads as golf returns to Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO: Canada’s Graham DeLaet fired a five-under-par 66 to grab the early clubhouse lead but Justin Rose drew the cheers for a hole in one on golf’s return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence.

Taking advantage of ideal morning scoring conditions, DeLaet opened defence of the gold medal won by Canada’s George Lyon at the 1904 Summer Games, mixing six birdies with a bogey to sit one in front of Belgian Thomas Pieters on the clubhouse leaderboard.

Rose was two off the lead after six holes.

When the ball went in, the 2013 US Open champion aced the par-three fourth hole, breaking into a wide smile, raising both hands into the air and high-fiving everyone around him.

DeLaet was delighted with his own performance.

“I’m happy, I don’t think I will be leading by the end of the day but you know I am the clubhouse leader at the Olympics right now so it feels pretty good,” said DeLaet, who is still chasing a first PGA Tour title.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal reached the tennis quarter-finals, winning the first of 10 matches he will need to sweep in just four days to secure triple Rio gold.

The 2008 champion defeated Gilles Simon 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 for his eighth win over the Frenchman in nine meetings.

Nadal, a 14-time major winner, is playing in his first tournament in two months after a wrist injury caused an early withdrawal from the French Open.

“I won, that’s what’s important. I’m in the quarter-finals, which is very good news,” said Nadal.

“A few days ago I wouldn’t imagine being in this position, but we have the desire and the energy high to give my best at every moment and that’s what I am doing.”

After torrential rain wiped out Wednesday’s entire programme, the 30-year-old faced an epic test of his fitness and stamina.

Britain’s Joshua Buatsi thundered his way into the quarter-finals with a brutal knock-out to enhance his rapidly growing reputation.

It was the 23-year-old Briton’s second KO in two fights as he destroyed the Uzbek Elshod Rasulov in their light-heavyweight showdown.

Buatsi put the experienced Rasulov, 30, down three times in the third and final round when the referee put a stop to the punishment.

Forty-year-old British rower Katherine Grainger described a fourth silver medal in five Olympics as her “greatest achievement” Thursday, as dominant New Zealand pair Eric Murray and Hamish Bond stretched an eight-year unbeaten streak.

After two of the first five days of the disrupted Rio regatta fell victim to blustery conditions, the sun shone on a hectic first medals day when six golds were handed out at the picturesque Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon by Copacabana beach.

Germany also struck double gold in the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls, Croatian brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic claimed the double sculls and Switzerland the lightweight men’s four.

Grainger was agonisingly close to defending her double sculls title with Victoria Thornley, but they were pulled in by Polish pair Natalia Madaj and Magdalena Fularczyk-Kozlowska in the final 500 metres.

However, a fifth Olympic medal made Grainger, who has a degree in homicide, Britain’s most decorated female athlete.

And the Scot hailed a fourth silver after also finishing second in Sydney, Athens and Beijing having taken a two-year sabbatical after finally landing gold in London.