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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The kids who took swings in a hitting bay set up near the entrance to the Olympic Golf Course probablly have no idea the identities of Justin Rose and Inbee Park, the gold-medal winners at the mens and womens golf events that began with so much angst and ended with so much glory.They were but a small part of the Olympic golf mission, but an important one going forward, the idea that inspiring youth in non-traditional golf markets might one day lead to proficient players, if not gold-medal winners.Those kids might not have even known the Brazilian golfers competing in the fields over the past two weeks, but they were exposed to golf. And wasnt that the point?Golf took a wobbly step onto the Olympic stage less than two weeks ago and emerged standing tall rather than slinking off the podium. The tournaments were a hit with locals, sponsors, television and a worldwide audience that might not have ever watched a golf tournament. There are issues to be worked out for sure; nothing is perfect.But considering all the negativity that the sport of golf dragged to Rio -- along with the number of no-shows on the mens side that threatened golfs future in the Games -- those who championed this endeavor leave Brazil glowing with pride.Its exceeded all my expectations, said Paul McGinley, the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain who served as a group leader for both the mens and womens Irish players at the Olympics. Ive gone on record for more than a year about how important golf is in the Olympics and why we should embrace it and why it shouldnt be insulated.Golf in many circles has been insulated. This has been a chance for us to dine at the top table of sport. Why are we not embracing the Olympics? And Ive been proved right. Maybe it took them some time to see it. The ladies really embraced it after the men did. The cream rose to the top at both tournaments. It shows you how both sets of players were motivated by who was here. How they got into the spirit and how they got emotionally attached to trying to represent their country and their sport.Much of the mood changed at a Tuesday news conference before the start of the mens competition. Americans Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar were engaging, funny, self-deprecating and obviously keen to enjoy their time in Rio.It was a refreshing and somewhat surprising outlook and it carried on throughout the event. Watson became a de facto ambassador for Olympic golf, and the mood was altered.This is an absolute thrill of a lifetime, Watson said after he tied for eighth. This is the greatest sporting event Ive ever been a part of and associated with, and its a thrill of a lifetime. The Masters, I get the Masters for the rest of my life (because he has won the tournament), but its just golf. Theres no other events going on. And when you talk about a sporting event, this is a dream come true and to be part of it, its the greatest event Ive ever been a part of.It helped considerably that the mens competition was excellent. Major champions Rose of Great Britain and Henrik Stenson of Sweden battled on the final day, tied on the 18th tee, with Rose prevailing by hitting a perfect pitch shot to set up a birdie.Stenson, who won The Open last month, took the silver medal, and American Matt Kuchar, who shot a final-round 63, snagged bronze.The photo of them on the medal stand was one of pure joy. And Rose got a heros welcome when he arrived at the London airport after his victory.The reception globally has been astonishing, said Mark Steinberg, who is Roses agent. The reception he is receiving locally within the UK, its astonishing to even Justin who is wearing a gold medal around his neck. He just cant believe the amount of people who are reaching out to him that maybe dont sit and watch golf on a Saturday and Sunday.Maybe you attribute that to the Olympic rings. Anything you want to attribute it to. Its been an astonishing appeal. Its just so great for these guys to get that type of response.Steinberg also represents Kuchar, and his phone has been ringing with potential endorsement possibilities for both medal winners. He also had three other players in the mens tournament.There were clearly some agents who were in their players ears about not coming to Rio, but Steinberg was not one of them. He encouraged his players to compete (he swears his long-time client, Tiger Woods would have embraced it and loved it had he been eligible) and made the trip to Rio himself.I commend the officials for promoting this as much as they did even when they were getting the negativity, said Steinberg of the International Golf Federation, which was made up of executives from the R&A, PGA Tour, USGA and other organizations. They stuck to their guns and I think it turned out maybe in their eyes as expected and in most eyes better than expected.It was electric out there. There was so much patriotic cheering for the player who hit a shot and the countrymen and women in the field. But it wasnt Ryder Cup or Presidents [Cup] where it was a bit more antagonistic. This was unabashed rooting for a player from their country. And a little bit more quiet, but not negative for the other players in the group. That really gave it an Olympic feel.There was never much doubt that this would be a festive and welcome occasion for the women golfers. They fretted over how the defections among the top-ranked men might hurt the overall Olympic effort for golf, but were happy to see the turnaround by those in attendance.Americans Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller both spoke passionately about competing here, what it meant to them, the uniqueness of the opportunity. And having a Hall of Famer in Park take home the gold certainly did nothing to detract from the occasion.Honestly anything that happens is icing on the cake, said LPGA commissioner Mike Whan during the tournament. The Olympic movement has become crystal clear to me. We roll into a lot of countries, especially in Asia, and they have a term called podium sports. Youre either a sport or a podium sport. If youre a podium sport, that means someday somebody might be standing on a podium with their flag representing their country. And those podium sports get funded. They are funded on team programs, coaches, access to facilities.Ive seen podium sports change golf now. Theyre getting government funding. If youre a young kid, because it is a podium sport, there are opportunities that might not have been there five or six years ago. Thats the movement. What it means to our sport is already happening, its already impacted womens golf.To keep that kind of impact, however, golf has to remain in the Games beyond 2020 in Tokyo. And there was great fear that golf blew its chance. Now that trepidation has been replaced with optimism, with an excellent two weeks in Rio to build upon.Certainly there are problems to resolve. The schedule, especially on the PGA Tour, needs to be more conducive so players are not stretched so thin, as is clearly the case at this point. A format that would include a team portion would almost universally be endorsed.Golfs leaders need to sort through those issues quickly, vet them publicly, and assert themselves a little over a year from now when all of the Olympic sports are judged for inclusion in the 2024 Games.This helped tremendously in the Olympics moving forward because there was so much talk going in about the negativity and those not playing, Steinberg said. Once the balls got in the air, and everybody could see what was going on, it was a tremendous golf event. I think it did wonders for golf in the Olympics going forward and post-Tokyo. We all know the vote comes well before that sometime in the fall next year. But I think this did wonders.In the meantime, there is nothing wrong with relishing what just occurred and using it as a springboard to something better. The players performed, the golf course was a unique and formidable test, spectators enjoyed the experience even if some didnt know a birdie from a bogey.Olympic golf might not be on the same level as a major championship. It might not even rate as high as a World Golf Championship event or even a regular PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event.But an Olympic medal certainly does mean something. The six players who earned them in the past seven days showed as much. And maybe to those kids swinging clubs in a hitting a bay, it will one day be the ultimate achievement in the game. Jimmie Foxx Jersey . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Brandon Workman Jersey . 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ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy freshman quarterback Malcolm Perry was wearing his dress whites and enjoying the Midshipmens game against Fordham with his classmates in the stands Saturday.Perry had been sick most of the week, but he was able to play in the junior varsity game the prior day. The coaches, however, were confident with starting quarterback Tago Smith and backup Will Worth in the lineup. As a result, they held Perry out, allowing him to march to the stadium with the traditional Brigade of the Midshipmen.Everything changed when Smith went down with a knee injury in the second quarter.The coaches decided to pull Perry from the stands, got him suited up and he was ready to play against the Rams. Perry made his debut with 38 seconds left in the third quarter and later put together a 90-yard-drive in the fourth quarter that led to a 23-yard field goal in the 52-16 victory.It wasnt planned for me to even dress today, said Perry, who ran for 32 yards on seven carries but did not attempt a pass.. I came here with the rest of the brigade. I was just watching the game and Tago went down. The coaches got me out of the stands and got me dressed. It felt good. Playing the JV game the prior day helped a lot. It was a good experience.Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo was impressed with Perrys performance under the difficult circumstances.I thought he did really well for a guy that wasnt supposed to suit up, Niumatalolo said. He was in the brigade so went and got him. He had been sick all week too and didnt take any reps. So, we tried to keep things really simple for him. Hes another talented kid. Its not the scenario you want. But we had to do what we had to do.After serving for three years as a backup for record-setting quarterback Keenan Reynolds, Smith ran Navys triple-option offense flawlessly until he was injured on a 22-yard run with 14:17 left in the half. Smiths status was uncertain following the game and Niumatalolo was overcome with emotion when talking about the injury.Hes just a great kid, Niumatalolo said. He really symbolizes who we are, hasnt said (anything) for three years and came to work every day. He didnt complain, didnt get bitter. What he did in the first half, didnt surprise me. We knew the guy was a good football player. We just feel bad for a kid who has waited his turn.In just over one quarter of work, Smith rushed foor 97 yards on 10 carries with a pair of touchdowns.dddddddddddd Senior Will Worth entered and was also effective, scoring on a 7-yard run that gave the Midshipmen a 28-10 lead. He also threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Toneo Gulley.Junior fullback Chris High had 176 yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns, including a 70-yard scamper, in his first career start for Navy. It was the most rushing yards by a Navy fullback since 2010.I just knew with the help of my line, the play-calling and my supporting cast, that anything was possible High said.Kevin Anderson completed 26 of 45 passes for 302 yards with a touchdown for the Rams.Chase Edmonds, the 2015 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, finished with 70 yards on 18 carries for Fordham, ranked No. 20 in the NCAA FCS Coaches poll.To win this game and have success, we would have to execute at a high level, Fordham coach Andrew Breiner said. All three phases of the game -- offense, special teams and defense -- we did not execute at a high enough level. Well turn on the tape and we are going to see some close calls. Were going to see some chances for big plays on the offensive side of the ball that we just didnt make. If we do that, I think its a different football game.THE TAKEAWAYFORDHAM: The Rams fell short of earning their third win in four years over an NCAA FBS opponent. Still, Fordham showed some burst on offense with Edmonds in the backfield and Anderson behind center. This type of game should help battle-test them for conference play and a potential run in the FCS playoffs.NAVY: The Midshipmens triple-option attack did not miss a beat with Smith under center, but his status is uncertain after suffering the knee injury. Worth was a solid replacement, but Perry and sophomore Zach Abey could also get more opportunities.HOME FIELD ADVANTAGENavy has not lost at home since Sept. 27, 2014, against Western Kentucky. The victory over Fordham gave the Midshipmen their longest winning streak at home (11) since 1953-64 when Navy won 21-straight.UP NEXTFORDHAM: The Rams open at home next Saturday against Elizabeth City State in a non-conference matchup.NAVY: The Midshipmen host Connecticut in their American Athletic Conference opener next Saturday. ' ' '